The Stowaway: The Hidden Story of Tara
by purple909
Summary: Throughout the whole series there was always someone watching over the Gaang. At first she thought that she played no part but as time went on it became clear that the spirits had a whole different destiny in store for her. Not AU, a behind the scenes fic
1. Prologue: Little Fire Girl

**WOW. This fanfic came to me in sort of a dream. Well not really. I'll try to finish this one extra hard because I love it so much! Thank you The Last Airbender for bringing back my love of avatar! Even though the movie wasn't that good…Please review when done!**

The Stowaway: The Hidden Story of Tara

Prologue: Little Fire Girl

Darkness; when she was even younger it was always her enemy. It was something to be afraid of. Now it became her only friend. It used to be so cold but those days it felt more like a warm blanket wrapped around her.

The ship's hull had no windows. There was nothing to bring light to the little girl's world. The only thing that did was fire. So she mastered it. But it wasn't a friend to her like darkness was. No; instead it was her servant.

When she was cold she brought it forth to warm her. When she was angry she let it loose to comfort her. When she was sad she held it in her hand to remind her.

To remind her that he loved her. She was there because he loved her.

And once in a while he would come down to her. He would bring light from the hall above, if only for a moment. He would bring food; good food. Or in the winter he brought blankets.

While the little girl loved these things it was him that she really wanted. She just wanted his love. More than anything she wanted him to hold her in his arms and rock her to sleep. Or to sing that sweet lullaby that her mother used to sing.

_Little fire girl_

_Wake up_

_The sun in shining here_

_Won't you come and sing with me_

_While the sun is still up top_

_Little fire girl_

_Don't forget_

_About your little heart_

_It's different from the rest of ours_

_Use it well, my love_

But he never did.

Yet every day she would hold fire in her palms to remember when she was even younger. That time when they were both with her always. He would teach the basics of fire and her mother would laugh. Times were simpler than.

They were farmers. Her father loved the work and used to call the crops his other children. But then he would turn to her, a sparkle in his eyes, and say simply, "But I love you more."

He loved her. She knew he must.

But then her mother fell ill. The little girl was too young to care for her, though she tried. So he cared for her instead. Without his loving touch, though, the crops died. No crops meant no money for food, or medicine.

But hope arrived in the form of a letter; a newsletter actually. It stated that any child under eight could be enrolled into the Yu Yan Archers, free of cost. In fact, the fire lord was going to pay the families of students a large sum.

It was their only hope. And so the little girl was enrolled.

Each day she would train brutally to be the best she could. And each day her mother's condition would worsen. But they were paid heartily and bought medicine that would hold her on if only for a bit longer.

Then the day came for the little girl's final test. If she passed she would continue training until the next test. If she failed she would be kicked out, they would no longer be paid, and her mother would surely die.

But it turned out that that day was the day her mother died anyway. Heartbroken, the little girl didn't want to go on. But he grabbed her by the shoulders and looked her in the eye.

"You're not giving up." He told her, "Not like your mother gave up on us. You'll be strong, I know it. Or I'll make you strong. We can be strong together. We don't need this farm or this tiny town. You'll make us stronger."

He had changed. He wasn't her father anymore. There was no sparkle in his eyes.

The little girl was afraid. She knew she was strong but… it wasn't enough. She failed her final test. Everything happened fast after that.

They lost everything, their farm and their house. That's all they had anyway. He couldn't make ends meet. So he joined their nation's army. She could've lived with her grandmother; her stubborn and angry grandmother. But he wouldn't allow it.

"We must be strong together." He kept repeating as she cried.

He kept repeating it as he secretly took her aboard the ship; its flags proudly showed their sea ravens to the world. Again and again as she was shoved into the storage room below. She glanced at the shining sun from down the hall.

The little girl didn't see it again for a year.

She hated her whole situation. Each time they docked she would consider escaping. She could live off the land. She could be happy; maybe. Sometimes she would be at the top of the stairs, her little hand grasping the handle. Yet each time she couldn't do it. She couldn't leave him. She made him stronger. He loved her. And she loved him.

One day, deep into summer, he came down and visited. He brought a new supply of water and food and a strange contraption. He said that you could fly in it; literally glide through the air. He told her that he got it from a man who invented new things they could use for war in return for safety.

He didn't elaborate much. The little girl figured that her nation was protecting the man from something. She didn't think then what her nation did.

But she was curious and was determined to fly. She wanted to be free in the sky, a warm sun against her skin. He also mentioned that his ship was going on an important mission to the South Pole. At first she was proud of him. He always seemed to be so happy when he was given something important to do. But he wasn't this time.

He said that he was going to kill someone; just one specific person. The little girl was horrified. After that, he didn't say anything else, but instead walked calmly up the stairs, opened the door, and slammed it with force that shook her to her bones.

Immediately, she brought forth fire from her palm and held it in her hands; its warmth bringing comfort. Then she made it dance in front of her. It invaded her friend, darkness, and she became happy again.

Once she put her fire away and her eyes adjusted, she inspected the flier. It was a bright red and had a black fire on each wing, the color and symbol of her nation. There was a place to sit and a place for your hands. The more the little girl looked and studied it, the more she understood how it worked.

She was determined more than ever to fly in it. And so a plan was devised in her mind.

The day came when they arrived at the South Pole. She sat at the top step, flier in hand, listening to the sounds of the soldiers preparing for battle. Her heart was racing in anticipation.

When she couldn't hear any more noises, the little girl opened the door. Instantly, her eyes were blinded by the sunlight, but she kept walking. She knew that moment was her only chance. Once her eyes finally adjusted, she took in the full sight.

And it was beautiful. The sun made the snow on the ground look like it was sparkling. But it was also a terrible scene. Black soot was falling from the sky, mixing with the pure white snow. But what were worse were the sounds. People were screaming, children were crying, and fire was crackling.

Normally, crackling fire was soothing to the little girl; another reminder. But when the fire was engulfing the small village, it was a terrible, terrible thing. Hot tears ran down her cheeks. Her nation, her people… what were they doing?

She forgot all about the flier still attached to her clenched fist. She ran as fast as she could; off the ship, across the snow. She ran away from it all. Finally she collapsed onto the cold ground and let go of her flier.

There she stayed for who knows how long, crying into her arms. Then when her eyes ran out of tears and she realized how freezing she was, she stopped. That's when the little girl saw exactly what she just accomplished by running.

His ship was gone. The water was calm, save for the waves lapping at the ice. No. It wasn't possible. He had to come back. She made him strong. He… he loved her. Right?

She stood up feebly and stumbled to the edge of the ice. She yelled his name; first soft but then stronger. No answer came back and no ship's silhouette appeared on the horizon.

She would have cried, but all her strength was gone. It left when he did. The little girl sat cross-legged onto the ice, holding onto her arms shivering. That last year she mostly lived off three outfits. The one she wore then was the coolest. A red tank trimmed with gold, a red skirt with two little pockets, thin golden leggings, and red flats also trimmed with gold.

Her long jet-black hair fell down to her thighs, but was made nicer by her bright red flower stuck behind her ear. Her eyes were brilliant amber and complimented the light freckles that dotted her cheeks. Her ears were pierced with small dangling gold earrings. They were nothing special; delicate chains that she liked to play with when she was nervous.

So the little girl sat there and stared at the horizon, expecting nothing. Suddenly the sound of running came from behind her. She tensed thinking that someone had seen her, especially when the running stopped right behind her. But then a strange sound came; crying.

Nervously, she turned her head to look… and found a little boy maybe one year younger than she. His head was pulled back into a tiny ponytail. He wore a blue Water Tribe get-up. And he was in the same position she had been when _she_ had finished running; on the ground, crying into his arms.

She guessed he didn't see her. Yet… she wanted him to know.

"Are you okay?" she squeaked out of lack of anything else to say.

The boy stopped dead and slowly raised his head. Tear stains lined his face but his eyes were huge in fright. He eyed her outfit before quickly getting up and began running off.

"No, come back!" she pleaded as she stood up too, "I won't hurt you!"

Something must've possessed the boy to come back, because he did.

"What?" he managed.

"What's the matter?"

Surprisingly, his gaze turned cold.

"Like you don't know!" he yelled at her as he took a step towards her.

"I-I don't."

"Yeah… sure,"

"I really don't."

That time the boy seemed to believe her. Maybe it was because she was back on the verge of tears. His face softened and his eyes turned to the ground.

Then he collapsed back onto the snow and burst into tears. The little girl ran and knelt down next to him. She hugged him tightly.

"I'm sorry." She whispered, "I'm sorry."

The boy pulled away and stared at her in confusion.

"For what?" he asked.

"I…," she stuttered with a shrug, "I don't know."

"You really don't?"

The little girl shook her head.

"They… they killed my mother."

That's when the world crashed down onto her. She stood up and walked backwards a bit.

"No." she whispered under her breath, "No."

"What?" the boy asked, obviously stunned by her large reaction.

"He went through with it." She said, still not looking at the boy, "He actually…"

"Who?" he asked, suddenly interested, "You know who…who…?"

Leaning against a wall of snow, she slid to the ground and nodded gravely.

"Who?" the boy asked urgently.

"My… my father,"

The boy turned angry again. She could tell he was ready to give her a real piece of his mind. So she broke down.

"He's not evil, though!" she told him, "He's just confused. I know it! He's different than… He's changed… He-He,"

Then she told him everything. She didn't care who he was. In the end it felt _so_ good to not be holding it all inside. Through the whole thing, the boy sat down and just stared. Near the end, she started crying. And when she was finished he just kept looking at her.

"Stay here." He stated.

"What?"

"Stay with us."

"I…I,"

"Please?"

"They'll never accept me."

"Why not?"

"My father…"

"It wasn't you.'

"I'm happy you think that, but will the others?"

The boy took a moment to think, his eyebrows furrowed together. Eventually, he sighed.

"No." he whispered.

She only nodded. She knew what the answer was.

"But where will you go?"

The question stunned her. Where was she going?

"You can still stay here. I'll take care of you. I'll bring you food and water and… and…"

A smile broke out on the little girl's face.

"You'd do that?"

"Why not?"

She gave the boy another tight hug.

"Thank you." She whispered shyly when she was done.

"Yeah. I'll be back with dinner and a sleeping bag. Oh, and is that the… uh,"

He was pointing at her flier still lying on the ground.

"Yes."

"Cool."

Then he began running back to his village. Suddenly, a thought popped into the little girl's head.

"What's you name?" she yelled after him.

"Sokka! And yours?"

"Tara!"

**Yay! I figured everyone knew who the little girl was anyway but I like dramatic endings like this. Don't expect all of the chapters to be this long. Though they very well could be… Also, a reminder that this story is going to be completely canon. Everything that happens will happen 'behind the scenes' so to speak. Please review! **


	2. The Boy in the Iceberg

**Look! Its chapter one! Wow… Please review!**

The Boy in the Iceberg

Tara smiled as she flew through the air. Her long black hair whipped behind her. Her amber eyes scanned the snow-covered ground below in search of two figures dressed in blue.

For seven long years she had been living outside the Southern Water Tribe. Her only companions were the snow, the water, and of course Sokka. Sokka was someone to talk to, someone to cry to, and someone to laugh at or with.

But he wasn't the little boy he used to be. He was the oldest male in the tribe. Tara had been there when his father left. That was the day that she held him in her arms again, as he cried himself to sleep.

She knew the feeling, sort of. Yet Tara wondered if her father still loved her like Sokka's father did. But anyway, the young warrior had more responsibilities. It seemed the older he became, the less time he spent with her.

But he never neglected her. Each day he brought her three meals, blankets if needed, and any other essentials. Over the years, they became the best of friends; almost like brother and sister.

Tara had a new outfit, of course. It was basically the same as her old one, except blue to disguise her. She also had a thick winter coat to protect her from harsh polar winds.

She was no stranger to loneliness. But Tara made do much better there than on the ship. She learned to fly her flier perfectly and would do it quite often. She even painted over the wings, knowing the color and insignia would give her away. Instead now they were a light blue that matched the sky.

She was flying it then, while on search for Sokka and his sister, Katara. Sokka said that he was most worried about his sister finding out about Tara. He told her that she held a strong grudge that could last a lifetime. Still, one day Tara vowed to have Katara find out. She didn't plan to be hidden forever.

So on that fateful day, as I said, Tara was trying to find the siblings on their fishing trip. Through her years as an outcast, she had learned to be sneaky. She learned the art of spying. And she was quite good at it too. Not one person in the whole tribe had found out, though there were a few close calls. Tara wasn't sure why she did it. She supposed that it was entertaining and it kept her occupied.

Finally, she found Sokka and Katara floating on their canoe. Sokka had a spear in hand and was studying the water looking for a fish. Katara, though, already had one in an orb of water that floated through the air. Tara was always amazed at her waterbending.

"Sokka, look!" Katara said happily.

"Shh. You'll scare it away." He whispered back, obviously not paying attention to his sister, "Mmm. I can already smell it cookin'."

"But Sokka, I caught one!"

The girl bent the water over the boat where Sokka stabbed it with the back of his spear. The fish fell back into the ocean and the water fell onto the young warrior's head.

"Ugh!" the waterbender cried in frustration.

"Why is it that every time you play with magic water I get soaked?"

Tara giggled even though, as he said, it happened all the time. The girl sighed.

"It's not magic, it's waterbending. And it's-"

"Yeah, yeah; an ancient art unique to our culture, bla bla bla," Sokka interrupted, "Look, I'm just saying that if I had weird powers I'd keep my weirdness to myself."

"You're calling me weird? I'm not the one who makes muscles at myself every time I see my reflection in the water."

Tara laughed again because at that moment, he had been doing that exact thing. She could tell that he was about to fire back when suddenly the canoe lurched foreword. They were caught in the stronger current. Sokka grabbed hold of the oar and began to steer away from the incoming ice. Katara frantically yelled directions at him, hoping to help.

It did not. In the end, two ice chunks smashed their canoe and the siblings slid onto one piece of floating ice. There they started arguing again. Tara considered helping them but knew that Sokka would be upset if she revealed herself. Besides, she knew they would get out somehow.

The firebender wasn't really paying much attention to their argument this time. But soon she became interested when Katara began accidentally slicing the large glacier that was behind them in anger. Sokka was trying to warn her feebly but not to any accomplishment. Finally the glacier cracked apart and sent their piece of ice backwards a couple yards.

Once they stopped though, it got weird. A big glowing perfectly circular glacier arose from the water. Tara could see what she thought was a person inside. Unfortunately, Sokka and Katara were too far away for her to hear what they were saying. But the waterbender yelled something and then grabbed Sokka's club. She began to jump from ice chunk to ice chunk until she reached the glacier and then began whacking it.

Finally, it cracked open and a bright blue light shot into the air. Then, a young boy appeared. He was bald with a blue arrow tattoo on his forehead. He fell down the ice but Katara quickly caught him. At first, Tara thought he was dead but then he woke up and began walking and, she thought, talking. He started doing amazing things. Jumping fifteen feet into the air, almost floating his body up from the ground, bringing out his huge bison looking thing also adorned with arrows, just to name a few.

After that, Tara left. She had nothing else to see.

There were two things she was sure of and one she suspected. One: things were definitely going to change. Two: that boy was an airbender. Three: Sokka didn't like him.

To the young warrior, Tara was the exception. Every stranger he met was not to be trusted; especially one so strange. Sokka wasn't a big believer in bending, either. He knew it was there, after all there was enough proof, but he just didn't trust it.

In other words, he kind of had a trusting issue.

Tara would tease him about it sometimes. "Don't go near that rock, Sokka!" she would say, "It can't be trusted." He would laugh then.

Quickly, Tara flew back to her campsite. In reality, there was no need to rush. She just felt a kind of urgency that had to be attended to. Once she arrived, she tied her flier into the picket stuck in the ground. Then, strangely, she smiled.

Her campsite gave her a sense of homeliness. She had a blue tent that was really meant for sleeping, but she used it for storage instead. Tara preferred sleeping under the stars and feeling the night breeze blow over her face. In fact her dark blue and white sleeping bag was the same one that Sokka had given her on her first night at the South Pole.

Having missed breakfast in anticipation for Sokka and Katara's fishing trip, Tara's stomach begged for food. And she obeyed. As she dug through her food supply inside her tent, she mentally counted out how much was left. Five small loaves of bread, three good-sized hunks of meat, and one huge fish became the official count. Tara pulled out her knife she kept with her always and sliced one piece of meat in half. She ate one half of that plus a loaf of bread.

It should keep her for a while. And it was a while before Sokka visited; a lot later than it usually was. In fact, Tara was beginning to think that they were still stranded on that glacier. But just when she was ready to fly over and look, he appeared…in a pretty bad mood.

"Airbender givin' you trouble, Sokka?" She asked with a sly smile.

"How did you… Oh, you were spying."

"Yep," it wasn't a question, but she answered anyway.

"Do you know what it feels like when you were somewhere acting normal and then later you figure out somebody was secretly looking at you the whole time?"

"No."

"Creepy; it feels creepy, Tara."

"Okay. So did the big bison swim you home?"

"Actually it was supposed to fly us, but shouldn't you know that?"

"Nah. You were out of range so I left."

"Oh… good."

"I still saw you get hit by bison snot."

"Darn. So… what did you do when you weren't spying on us?"

"The usual: nothing."

"Right."

"Sokka, I know you don't trust the kid, but maybe this once you should."

"Why do you care?"

Tara shrugged. "I'm not kidding around, though, you've gotta work on your issues."

"What issues?"

"See? You're in denial."

Sokka sighed, defeated.

"Listen, I'll see you tomorrow, Tara; okay?"

"Alright; but don't keep me waiting forever. I was worried."

The warrior smiled and nodded, then headed back towards his tribe. Once he was gone from sight, Tara climbed into her sleeping bag and closed her eyes. She dreamed. She dreamed of darkness, her old friend, and of water rushing underneath the metal beneath her feet; of him. She woke up sweating, in the depth of winter too. Quickly, she brought forth fire in her palms and held it there, eyes closed again. A second later, Tara put it out and fell into a calm sleep.

When she awoke again, the sun had just come up and the firebender quickly got ready. She knew there would be much commotion in the village with the airbender, and she wanted to see it all.

Her hair brushed and flower in place, she began walking towards the village. It was way too short of a distance to fly there. When she arrived, she hid behind a tan tent and watched the scene unfold. Katara was introducing the airbender, apparently named Aang, to the villagers. Aang gave a bow of greeting to them but instead they cowered away.

Tara wasn't too surprised at this. They all weren't too fond of strangers. She recognized Sokka's grandmother tell him how they thought that airbenders were extinct. Aang didn't look happy… or convinced.

Sokka then took the chance to make the airbender look stupid. He grabbed Aang's staff from his hands.

"What is this; a weapon?" the warrior asked accusingly, "You can't stab anything with this."

Aang only smiled and used more airbending to take the staff back.

"It's not for stabbing." He laughed, "It's for airbending."

The boy suddenly opened the staff into a glider similar to Tara's flier; except it only had wings. She realized then why you would need airbending to fly it.

"Magic trick; do it again!" a little water tribe girl called out.

"Not magic; airbending," Aang explained, "It lets me control the air currents around my glider and fly."

"You know, last time I checked," Sokka said, "humans can't fly.

"Check again!" the airbender replied.

Amazingly, the boy grabbed hold of his glider and took to the skies. Aang flew around doing swirls and other things for a few moments before crashing headfirst into Sokka's snow-built watchtower.

Katara helped him up of course. When Sokka attempted to repair the watchtower more snow just fell on him.

"Great." He said not so happily, "You're an airbender, Katara's a waterbender; together you can just waste time all day long."

His comment didn't seem to shake his sister or Aang. In fact, they then began to talk about it. How typical. But it wasn't long before her grandmother brought her away for her chores.

"I told you he's the real thing, Gran Gran." Katara told her hopefully as they walked away from the rest of the villagers, "I finally found a bender to teach me."

"Katara," Gran Gran said carefully, "try not to put all your hopes in this boy."

"But he's special. I can tell. I sense he's filled with much wisdom."

Tara wasn't too sure about that. In fact, at that moment, Aang was showing the young children how he could get his tongue stuck to his closed glider. The firebender grew bored once Katara began her chores, so she snuck over to Sokka. He was trying, again, to train the young boys of the tribe to be warriors… with not much luck.

Soon, though, Katara came and asked Sokka if he had seen Aang anywhere. She didn't need an answer because, as if on cue, he appeared from the bathroom igloo.

"Wow." He joked to the little ones, "_Everything _freezes in there."

"Ugh! Katara get him out of here!" Sokka commanded, frustrated, "This class is for warriors only."

He was about to leave when he heard the little boys' happy noises. They were sliding down the bison's tail while Aang was watching and laughing.

"What's wrong with you!" Sokka yelled at Aang.

Tara's smile faded away. She hated when Sokka started talking about the urgency of things; about the war that her people had started. So she left again.

Once Tara returned to her campsite she decided to take her flier out for a ride. Maybe flying will take her mind off things. So she flew and just stared at the snow. Well, she was until she spotted Katara and Aang sledding down the hills on penguins. The firebender decided to follow them. What else would she do?

When they finished, Tara landed her flier and hid behind a nearby glacier. But then, she stopped dead once she spotted what the two were looking at.

It was an old Fire Nation ship, stuck frozen in the ice. Calmly, the airbender began walking towards it.

"Aang, stop!" Katara warned, "We're not allowed to go near it. The ship could be booby-trapped."

"If you want to be a bender, you have to let go of fear."

Tara trembled in anger at Aang's stupidity. Who knows what was inside? She had seen it once or twice before but preferred to steer clear of it herself. Tara had had enough of Fire nation ships.

Katara was usually one to always follow the rules which was why she was surprised to find that the waterbender foolishly went in too. Not wanting them to get hurt, and being the slightest bit curious herself, she carefully followed them both.

As quiet as she could, Tara crawled into the hole in the hull after the two benders. Taking extra precautions to ensure she wouldn't be seen, she stayed a few yards behind. She hopped onto large pipes near the ceiling and into open doorways for a couple seconds.

"This ship has haunted my tribe since Gran Gran was a little girl." Katara broke the silence. "It was part of the Fire Nation's first attacks."

"Okay. Back up." Aang told her with concern, "I have friends all over the world, even in the Fire Nation. I've never seen any war."

"Aang, how long were you in that iceberg?"

"I don't know; a few days maybe."

"I think it was more like a hundred years."

"What? That's impossible. Do I look like a hundred and twelve year old man to you?"

"Think about it. The war is a century old. You don't know about it because, somehow, you were in there the whole time. It's the only explanation."

Whoa. Tara held back a pretty large gasp. Wouldn't he be dead? Because… because you would think he'd be dead. Aang seemed to be taking the news well though, considering. He sat down onto the metal floor, hands on his bald head.

"A hundred years," he repeated, "I can't believe it."

"I'm sorry, Aang." Katara said as she knelt down next to him, "Maybe somehow there's a bright side to all this?"

"I did get to meet you."

Tara almost gagged. The cheesiness of his sentence was overwhelming. She hoped they wouldn't continue off of that.

"Come on. Let's get out of here."

The firebender's eyes grew wide. She didn't think it would be safe to be _in front_ of them. Quietly, she dashed into a nearby room. The two traveled down the hall; the wrong hall. Either they weren't leaving or they were going to get lost.

Luckily, sort of, it was the first option. The benders explored a little more with Tara on their tail before Katara finally said the phrase she had been waiting for.

"Aang? Let's head back. This place is creepy."

The airbender didn't respond but instead let out a gasp as he tripped slightly over a thin wire. Instantly a metal grate fell over the only door. Luckily, Tara wasn't hiding inside.

"What's that you said about booby-traps?" Aang joked.

Katara wasn't laughing. No, she was busy staring at the steam coming out of the pipes that ran along the wall. It wasn't long before a fiery flare erupted into the sky.

"Uh oh." The airbender said simply.

Quickly, he grabbed Katara and jumped through the hole in the ceiling that led outside. Tara knew they would be safe. The firebender ran down the halls and passageways until she finally got out in time to see Aang and Katara run off. She sprinted towards her flier and, as fast as she could, took to the skies.

She was on her way back to the campsite when she saw it. A black ship was going full steam ahead straight towards the village. She had to warn Sokka.

**Oooh! It's super exciting! At least I think so… Tell me what you think! Please review! Also, not every chapter will be just her watching what's going on because I understand that gets boring sometimes. It's just this first one. She will have much bigger roles in the others, believe me. I'll make sure. And if I don't please review about it! And if I haven't said this already, each chapter will be a specific episode. The story won't be all 61 episodes though, just the important ones and some favorites that I can work with. **


	3. The Avatar Returns

**And the story continues… With a disclaimer! My buddies (not really **_**my **_**buddies) Mike and Bryan own everything; except for my OC and my personal plotline. **

The Avatar Returns

Tara jerked her flier towards the village and willed the wind to carry her faster. Maybe, just this once, it could work. She picked her landing area carefully; she almost never flew to the tribe. The firebender was about to run the short length it took to get there, but quickly fell back.

Almost the whole village was standing before Aang and Katara with not so nice faces. Well, except for the children.

"Katara, you shouldn't have gone on that ship." Gran Gran scolded.

_Ha. As if Katara already didn't know._

"Now we could all be in danger." She continued.

"Don't blame Katara!" Aang admitted, "I brought her there. It was my fault."

"Ah ha!" Sokka accused as Tara winced, "The traitor confesses. Warriors, away from the enemy. The foreigner is banished from our village!"

"Sokka, you're making a mistake." Katara told her brother.

For once in her life, Tara agreed with the waterbender.

"No. I'm keeping my promise to Dad. I'm protecting you from threats like him."

"Aang is not our enemy. Don't you see? Aang's brought us something we haven't had in a long time: fun."

"Fun! We can't fight firebenders with fun."

_Oh, Sokka. You have with me tons of times._

"You should try it sometime." Aang said, cheery as ever.

"Get out of our village; now." Sokka commanded.

Tara hated seeing him like that: un-trusty; and especially when it was as important as this. Aang meant no harm! How were they all not seeing that?

"Grandmother, please." Katara begged, "Don't let Sokka do this."

"Katara, you knew going on that ship was forbidden." Gran Gran replied, "Sokka is right. I think its best if the airbender leaves."

"Fine." The waterbender yelled, "Then I'm banished too. Come one, Aang. Let's go."

"Where do you think you're going?" Sokka cried.

"To find a waterbender. Aang is taking me to the North Pole."

"I am?" Aang asked, "Great!"

"Katara!" Sokka persisted, "Would you really choose him over your tribe; your own family?"

Tara held her breath as Aang quietly walked over to her.

"Katara," he said softly, "I don't want to come between you and your family."

"So you're leaving the South Pole?" She asked him sadly, "This is goodbye?"

"Thanks for penguin sledding with me."

"Where will you go?"

"Guess I'll go back home and look for the airbenders. Wow; I haven't cleaned my room in a hundred years. Not looking foreword to that."

The boy airbended to his bison's neck.

"It was nice meeting you all." Aang called out.

"Let's see your bison fly now, airboy." Said Sokka, arms crossed.

_Oh, he was going to pay for that one._

"Come on, Appa." He pleaded, "You can do it. Yip yip!"

The bison stood up slowly but didn't raise an inch.

"Yeah, I thought so." The young warrior concluded.

Suddenly, though, a little girl ran towards Aang with tears in her eyes.

"Aang, don't go. I'll miss you." She said simply.

"I'll miss you too." He replied.

Then the airbender exchanged a sad look with Katara that, although cheesy, actually toughed Tara's heart.

"Come on, boy." He said softly as they turned their back to the tribe.

The whole village just stared at him go for a few moments more. Gran Gran walked towards her granddaughter slowly.

"Katara," she said, "You'll feel better after-"

"You happy now?" Katara yelled, "There goes my one chance of becoming a waterbender."

Then the anger toward her just came boiling back for Tara. Was that all she ever thought about? What about Aang?

"Alright, ready our defenses." Sokka started ordering, "The Fire Nation could be here any moment now!"

Tara tuned out everyone's voices, not wishing to hear their words. She instead just stared at Sokka waiting for a moment alone. She stood behind his tent, waiting for him to come out. When he did, she grabbed his arm and pulled outside of the protective snow wall.

"What's wrong with you?" Tara yelled.

"Let go of me, Tara. I've got to defend my tribe."

"I know you do. Which is why I'm gonna make this short and sweet so you can get out there and get your butt kicked! Okay?"

Sokka just stared at her and gave her no response. The firebender looked at him, battle paint and all, and sighed.

"You're not so stupid that you wouldn't see that Aang didn't mean anything. So why, oh why, did you have to banish him?"

"It was the only way things would just go back to normal here."

"Really? You think Katara is just going to forget this? Do you think a Fire Nation raid won't shake things up a bit? Did you even think it through?"

This time Sokka sighed.

"I don't know, Tara. Believe me, I don't. I just don't want to see my sister get hurt anymore."

"Mm hm. A bit too late for that."

"I didn't think she might leave with him! I didn't know…"

"Well, what's done is done, I guess. No turning back now."

Sokka nodded.

"Just don't get hurt too badly out there, okay? And if you need any inside help, I'm your girl, right?"

"Right."

The young warrior smiled and left. _What a jerk. _But inside she didn't really think that.

From Tara's hiding spot, she could see it all. She watched in horror as the huge Fire Nation ship rammed into the supposedly protective snow wall. Katara screamed for Sokka to get out of the way and Tara fought to hold back her own. But the young warrior held his stance. The rest of the villagers took shelter inside their tents.

Luckily the packed snow carried Sokka away from the incoming ship. And it wasn't long before the villagers, curious as ever, ventured out. The front hull of the ship slowly opened up and fell onto the ground, sending Sokka back a couple more yards.

Everyone stared with their breath held as they waited for something to happen. Finally, an important looking figure stepped out from the shadows with six soldiers close behind him. The figure had a hardened look on his face and a large red scar over his right eye.

Sokka held his Water Tribe club high as he ran in attack for the figure. Calmly, the figure just kicked the young warrior's face, sending him into the large pile of snow beside them, headfirst.

Tara gasped and immediately regretted it. What if someone had heard? The figure and his soldiers kept walking until he was only about two yards from the villagers. Now that he was closer she could get a better look at him. In fact, she could see that he was probably around her own age.

What was up with him?

The teen seemed to be inspecting the villagers, as if looking for someone.

"Where is he?" he demanded.

_Be more specific, kid. _But the teen just kept staring. Suddenly, he grabbed Gran Gran by her hood.

"He'd be about this age; master of all elements."

Angrily, he shoved the old woman back to Katara.

"Where are you hiding him?"

When no answer came yet again, the teen shot a plume of fire over the villagers' heads. They all gasped in terror.

"I know you're hiding him."

Suddenly, Sokka attacked the teen again. This time, the figure flipped him over and shot more fire directly at the young warrior. Tara reacted and silently slowed the shot ever so slightly. Sokka, burn-free, then flung his boomerang at the teen expertly.

The firebender seemed surprised but managed to move his head in time to miss the hit. Now weaponless, a little Water Tribe boy gave Sokka a spear with the comment of: "Show no fear."

And he didn't. Unfortunately, the teen simply broke it in half and poked the young warrior's forehead with the back end a couple times until he fell down. But that was when Sokka's boomerang, lovingly just called 'boomerang', returned and the back of the teen's head. Sokka smiled.

Well, that just made him mad. The teen formed fire in each of his hands and prepared to attack with them when suddenly a miracle happened.

Aang came back sledding on a penguin, staff in hand, and hit the teen's feet directly, thus flipping him over instead. The children happily cheered him along. Once he was done, the penguin lazily got up and waddled off.

"Hey, Katara! Hey, Sokka!" Aang smiled.

"Hey… Aang." Sokka responded with little emotion, "Thanks for coming."

Maybe Tara's talk had an effect after all.

The teen's helmet had fallen off revealing his mostly bald head. In fact, all he had was a ponytail. Not the most attractive hairstyle in the world, actually. Tara hoped that, if they were going to be seeing him again, he would grow it out.

But now was not the time. The teen and the soldiers went into attack position. Quickly, Aang airbended a little and threw them off before saying defiantly:

"Looking for me?"

"You're the airbender?" the teen said with a sly smile, "You're the Avatar?"

_Wait… what?_ Nearly everyone gasped. But then again, how else would he, an airbender, have survived?

"I've spent years preparing for this encounter." The firebender went on, "Training, meditating; you're just a child!"

"Well, you're just a teenager." Aang's reply came out more of a comment than a comeback.

And then, of course, the fight began. The teen bended a shot of fire and more fire at Aang, who blew it off by spinning his staff in front of himself. It became quite clear that the airbender wasn't really trained to fight.

Then, as quickly as it started, it stopped.

"If I go with you," Aang began, "will you promise to leave everyone alone?"

_No!_

The teen slowly nodded as the soldiers took him away.

"No, Aang; don't do this!" Katara pleaded.

"Don't worry, Katara. It'll be okay."

But as much as it sounded convincing, Aang's face afterwards was not.

"Take care of Appa for me until I get back."

_If he does get back._

"Head a course for the Fire Nation!" Tara heard the teen order, "I'm going home."

_Yeah, right… home. _Slowly, the hull closed and they were gone. And it didn't take long before the ship was out of sight, either.

The villagers dispersed quickly enough and started repairing the snow wall and the tents. Tara pulled Sokka away from the crowd and brought him to where they had talked last.

"You banished the Avatar." She said simply.

"Yeah…that was pretty bad."

"That's all you have to say? Are you going to _do_ anything about it?"

"What can I do?"

"You can go save him."

"And how, do you think, am I going to accomplish that?"

Tara shrugged.

"Find a way. And if you can't than I will."

"Aang doesn't even know who you are."

"He doesn't have to."

"I don't want you getting hurt. I'll go, alright?"

"How?"

"How? Two seconds ago you wanted me to go!"

"Well, I didn't honestly believe you'd figure out how."

"Thanks, Tara. I don't see why we can't just use a canoe."

"As if you'll actually catch up to the ship with it, much less make a getaway."

"Well, what do you suggest?"

"We can take my flier."

"We? What about Katara? You know she'll want to come too. Plus, something tells me that if we went we might not see the South Pole again for a long time."

"True. Alright, you get a canoe ready while I head out now."

"Why are you deliberately ignoring my second point?"

Tara stopped.

"Why does it matter?"

"You certainly can't stay here by yourself."

"I'm coming with you, anyway."

"And Katara?"

"So we'll tell her."

"She'll hurt you, Tara. In more ways than one."

"I can handle it."

"No, you can't."

"I'm not a child, Sokka! I'm older than you! Stop protecting me like I'm some frail and weak five year old!"

Tara saw the hurt in his eyes and regretted her outburst.

"I know you have the best interests at heart. But keeping me away from everyone else can't protect me forever."

"Please, Tara. There must be another way."

The firebender sighed. _Another way…_

"I'll follow you… with my flier. It can't be any easier than that."

Sokka nodded.

"If you can find a way to attach something to hold supplies to it than it just might work."

Tara smiled before the young warrior hugged her tightly.

"Be careful." He whispered in her ear.

"I won't."

As soon as he let go, Tara sprinted away across the snow towards her flier and took off for her campsite. Every second counted. When she arrived, the firebender grabbed a large seal-skin pouch and filled it with her remaining food and as much medicine as it could carry. Then she stuffed her sleeping bag with blankets and clothing essentials.

As she rooted through her outfits, Tara came upon her old red one. It was much too small for her now, but for some reason she had kept it. The same unknown reason that she packed it now. Her sleeping bag rolled up and tied, she began to think about how she would attach it to her flier.

As quick as she could, she searched through her tent looking for anything useful. Finally she found a long strand of thick rope.

"Perfect." Tara said out loud to herself.

Using her knife, she split the rope in two and used them to secure the pouch and sleeping bag to the back end of her flier. The firebender took a last glance around her campsite. There was no point taking it down, it would only waste more precious time. Then, praying the extra weight wouldn't slow her flier down too much, Tara jumped into the skies and flew.

When the ship was in close view, she landed on a glacier nearby but kept running. Once in a while, for an extra burst of speed, she would glide a little. Tara was in time to see two soldiers take Aang down an area below the deck.

Now that she was there, she couldn't really think of what to do. _Maybe Sokka was right after all. I've never actually fought anyone, much less another bender. If only I had a bow and some arrows…_

Suddenly, Aang popped back up from below deck and was running towards the door in the front of the ship. A yard away, or so, he used his legs to airbend the door open. He was making an escape! But he was kind of running strangely. _Oh! His hands are still tied! What do I do! What do I do? _

Soon, the airbender had disappeared back into the interior of the ship. A few minutes later, Tara could see the whole top room explode with light most likely from fire. Then suddenly, Aang ran out from the control room and began gliding over the ship.

His success didn't last long before the teen ran out after him and jumped. _What's he doing? He'll never make it! _But he did. The firebender had a hand clutching Aang's right foot. The airbender couldn't glide with the weight and the two of them fell onto the hard metal ship's deck.

As the two benders got ready to fight again, Appa came into view. At first, Tara thought that just the bison had come to the rescue. But then she spotted Sokka and Katara on his back.

But their fight continued. Eventually, Aang lost his staff and it all went downhill after that. More and more fire was thrown at the airbender until he fell… into the ocean. Tara knew she had to help so she did the only thing she could think of.

She dived in too.

The cold impact hit her like a thousand needles. The firebender came up quickly and took off her outer coat. It was way too heavy in the water. After a large breath, Tara went under again and slowly opened her eyes. The salt stung but she just had to bear it.

Finally, she found Aang sinking slowly. The firebender wasn't the strongest swimmer but on that day she swam faster than she ever did before towards him. But all of a sudden, his arrow tattoos glowed brightly and he began… waterbending? _What? Did he learn waterbending yet? I don't think so…_

The water swirled all around Aang and sent Tara straight back into the ice. Accidentally, she swallowed some water so she immediately, began swimming to the surface. When Tara got there she coughed until all the salt water was gone. When she finally recovered, the firebender found that Appa had landed on the ship and many of the soldiers had fallen into the ocean.

Tara began swimming towards the ship hoping to help in case there was more fighting. She was next to the hull when she realized the soldier she was after was actually the teen. He was climbing up the side and had grabbed Aang's staff when Sokka appeared and took the other end.

Quickly, she climbed a bit and took hold of the teen's foot. For a moment, Tara and Sokka exchanged a look that basically meant "good luck". It wasn't long before she had the teen falling back into the water, so she jumped under too. Quickly, she swam until she reached the glacier. The teen was staring straight at her. For a few minutes all they did was stare at each other, there gazes locked, as Appa flew off with Sokka, Katara, and Aang.

Finally, an old man helped the teen aboard the ship and Tara began her long climb up the ice. Minutes later, still soaked and now, with no coat, freezing, grabbed hold of her flier and took off after the tiny dot that was Appa. It was going to be a _long _journey.

**I hope everyone liked the first two chapters! Now that we've gotten past the beginning we can get to the more awesome and exciting episodes! Yay! Please review! I need to hear what you think! Don't forget! Do it right now!**

**And… a note: To Yemi Hikari! Thank you for all of the constructive criticism! I know that I do need some. But I don't believe what you were trying to express in much of it. Which, in the end, might've been mostly my fault. When I wrote about her final test I was referring to her final test in passing the first stage of becoming a Yu Yan Archer. I probably wasn't clear enough on that. She might've been training for a month or two at most. This would, in fact, make Tara eight, Sokka seven, and Katara six. While eight isn't a really little girl and, you are right, Fire Nation training would give her some more mental stability a year confined to the storage space of a Fire Navy ship might diminish that. In terms of the definition of canon, I'm not sure I understand what you mean. But in truth I wrote canon for a lack of a better word. I meant that it wouldn't change what is shown on the TV show. My whole fanfic is based on a story that happened 'behind the scenes' of Avatar: The Last Airbender. Concerning Sokka crying, I definitely disagree with you. His mother had just died and he was only seven. If you recall, a few tears do fly when Azula mentions Suki in Day of the Black Sun. Azula also made it clear that she wasn't even dead, perhaps dying but not dead. Also, you might find this strange, but what does AU mean? Ah ha ha… (embarrassment) Hey, I'm only thirteen! By the way…**


	4. Jet

**Now we're going to move ahead in time! After all, there can't be a chapter for **_**every **_**episode! These should be more interesting!**

Jet

Tara could barely feel her feet after the first half-hour of walking. She decided that she was going to have a long talk with Sokka about never walking anywhere ever again. It didn't matter if Zuko spotted them now and then. It was bound to happen eventually! They were faster flying anyway.

Many weeks had passed since Katara, Sokka, and Aang set off on their journey to the North Pole. And it seemed that every other day they were running into one problem after another. On the bright side they got to know their enemy a bit better. The angry Fire Nation teen was actually the prince, Prince Zuko. And the old guy? That was his uncle, former general Iroh. _What a team._

So far, the gang had visited Aang's now spooky old temple, got a village almost burned down, met a freaky Earth Kingdom king, got caught up in this guy named Haru's problems, found out they had until the end of the summer to save the world, and found a convenient waterbending scroll which eventually got them kidnapped by pirates and Prince Zuko.

Their journey was shaping up pretty well.

Most of the time, Tara was left to be a spectator to all of their problems. Once in a while, though, the opportunity to do something would arise and she would try. However, she would almost always fail and Aang or Katara would come to the rescue. Why was she even there anyway?

Oh yeah, because of Sokka. He was also the reason that they were walking to the next town instead of flying; something about his 'instincts'. So now Tara was forced to walk sort of diagonal to the gang. It was too dangerous to be beside them or even behind them really.

A t least, Tara didn't have to carry her supplies on her back. But she did have to drag her flier behind her the whole way. And in truth, they could always put their supplies on Appa's back. It seemed kind of obvious to her. It didn't help that the only thing she could listen to was Aang and Katara's jokes about Sokka's instinct.

Sometimes they were funny. Other times they were just plain stupid. Didn't they have anything else to talk about? It must've been at least an hour and a half of walking before they ran into something interesting.

It was a Fire Nation camp.

It wasn't even like they just happened to see it and decided to spy on it a little. No. The whole gang actually stumbled right into the middle of their camp. _Real smooth. _And, of course, everyone was staring at them. Well, not Tara. She was safely hidden behind some bushes, trying to hold back her laughter.

"Run!" Sokka yelled.

_Oh, good idea, Sokka. _The gang dropped their stuff and was ready to run back where they had come from with the Fire Nation soldiers right behind them. But one fire bender shot a blast of fire towards their opening to the woods setting the area ablaze.

"We're cut off!" Sokka said loudly.

"Sokka, your shirt!" Aang pointed out.

The young warrior's right sleeve had caught on fire. He let out a cry of surprise

before Katara quickly doused the flame with some waterbending. And, just like that, they were cornered.

"If you let us pass, we promise not to hurt you." Sokka told them bravely, though it wasn't exactly the correct thing to say at the time.

"What are you doing?" Katara whispered.

"Bluffing." He replied.

"_You_ promise not to hurt _us_?" one soldier said.

Then, just when it looked like Tara would actually have to step in, the soldier who spoke collapsed with an arrow in his back

"Nice work, Sokka!" Aang praised happily, "How'd you do that?"

"Uh, instinct?"

"Look!" Katara interrupted as she pointed towards a figure standing poised on a tree branch.

The figure seemed to be about Sokka's age, give or take a year, had shaggy brown hair and a piece of wheat sticking out of his mouth. He was armed twin tiger hook swords that he used to swing down from the branch and landed on two soldiers. After that, he used his swords to flip both of them over. _In one word: cool._

"Down you go." He said simply.

All three members of the gang just stared. Soon, kids of all ages seemed to be raining from the sky and were attacking the soldiers.

"They're in the trees!" One firebender yelled out.

It wasn't long before Katara, Aang, and Sokka joined in the fight and the Fire Nation guys were panicking. Even Tara secretly shot a blast of fire at one from her hiding spot once in a while. When the whole thing was about over the original kid ran up to Katara.

"Hey." He said calmly, as if nothing had just happened.

"Hey." She said back.

It was actually kind of funny. He was like a whole head taller than her.

"You just took out a whole army almost single-handed!" smiled Aang.

"Army?" spat Sokka in disbelief, "There were only, like, twenty guys."

"My name is Jet, and these are my Freedom Fighters." The kid said.

It sounded like he was going to introduce all the other kids, but Tara didn't get the chance to hear their names because at that moment something hard hit her over her head. Everything went dark.

When Tara woke up her mouth was gagged and her hands and feet were tied. Trying to figure out what exactly had happened, she managed to sit herself up. The floor was made of planks of wood that were clumsily nailed down. The walls and ceiling looked like branches sewn together, except for the one to her back which was soft bark and must've been a whole tree.

There was only one opening to the room and it was directly across from her. The only covering was a sheet of reddish fabric that was loosely attached to the opening's side. Tara could actually see a good deal of what was outside from the bottom of the opening and one corner of it.

For a second, she wondered if one of the Fire Nation soldiers had captured her. But weren't they all dead or unconscious? Then again, she had also been unconscious for… for… how long was she out? It could've been hours or days, even. Had Sokka looked for her?

When night came, there was a bunch of commotion coming from outside, but Tara couldn't make out any of it. About an hour passed and pretty much all of the noise was gone. By that time, the firebender was starving and thirsty. She began to wonder what happened to all her supplies and her flier. She guessed that they must be where she left them, outside of that Fire Nation camp.

Suddenly, a pair of feet appeared in the opening. The shoes looked achingly familiar. Then the shoes' owner stepped into her little room. It was that kid! What was his name? Oh, Jet!

"So," he began with his eyes fixed on hers, "Fern and Redwood tell me they found you watching us attack that Fire Nation camp."

Tara stared at him with hate wishing she could respond. She thought he was a good guy! The gag would allow her to speak in muffled phrases but she didn't want to give him the satisfaction. Jet brought his face down until their noses were almost touching.

"What're your plans, spy?" He demanded.

Tara made an 'mm-hmph' noise to show him that she couldn't exactly respond. Silently, her captor yanked the strip of fabric down so it was just around her neck.

"Well?" Jet prompted.

"I don't know what you're talking about." She replied simply.

"I know you're Fire Nation." His eyes narrowed as he stood straight again.

_What? How?_ Tara was wearing her Water Tribe blue clothing. How would he-

"Your black hair and amber eyes, of course." Jet read her mind, "They were a dead giveaway."

Of course! Only Fire Nation people inherited those traits! Stupid… Then again, how could she conceal that?

"Alright, but I'm no spy."

"Why were you watching us?"

"Pure curiosity; it was an exciting fight."

"But you're still Fire Nation."

"So? I mean no harm. Let me go!"

"How can I trust you?"

"Why would I lie? You wouldn't dare harm someone possibly younger than yourself; especially a harmless girl."

She hated pulling out that one, but maybe it would work.

"Try me."

_Guess not._

"Then what are you going to do to me? Kill me? Doubt it."

"Not with visitors around, but believe me. I will."

_Huh?_

"Visitors?"

Jet's eyebrows went up. Oops.

"Do you know them?"

"I'd have to see them to know, wouldn't I?"

He smiled.

"Nice trick but it's not working. Even if they are your friends… or your enemies, they'll never know that you were here."

With that lovely ending, he quickly pulled Tara's gag back to her mouth and left. She sighed the best she could with the strip of fabric. He still hadn't given her any food or water.

It was only seconds after Jet had left that she heard him talking outside.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm… uh… just uh…" Sokka!

"You better get some sleep for that mission tomorrow. I'll walk you back to your hut."

"Oh… right."

He was looking for her! He was going to go out and find her! That was the deal. Each night, while Katara and Aang were sleeping Tara and Sokka would talk, if only for a bit, and trade supplies.

She sighed again. She might as well get some sleep. As soon as the firebender drifted off however, it seemed that she was woken up again. Tara could hear mumbling coming from outside.

"Stupid Jet… stupid Freedom Fighters… he's up to something, I know it."

It was Sokka again! This time she wouldn't let him get away. Tara started making as much noise as possible hoping to get the warrior's attention. It did. The mumbling stopped and he warily pulled back the fabric concealing the room.

Immediately, he gasped.

"Tara!" he whisper-yelled.

Sokka ran over to her and knelt down. Then he took off her gag.

"How'd you get here?" he asked.

"One of Jet's goons whacked me on the head after the fight at the Fire Nation camp. Next thing I know, I wake up here. He knows I'm Fire Nation, Sokka."

"What? How?"

The young warrior was now cutting off the ropes that bound her hands and feet using his boomerang's sharp edge.

"My hair and eyes; apparently. But he said that he won't tell you guys about me until you leave."

"You talked to him?"

"_Yes_, Sokka; obviously. Jet's not the guy he acts like. I told him I meant no harm but he doesn't believe me. But for some reason he's waiting until after you leave to kill me."

"Kill you? Seriously? Well, that's not going to happen."

"Not anymore. I heard him say you're going on a mission with him. What's that about?"

"We're just scouting. But now I can get a real inside look on how he works. Maybe I'll get information that'll convince Katara and Aang he's bad. They really love it here."

"I can imagine. Katara's really got the hots for Jet, doesn't she?"

Tara laughed quietly at Sokka's anger for that stuff. He's _so_ overprotective. Now that she was free, the pair silently made their way to the deck. Tara took in a breath at the sight.

"It is sort of beautiful from up here though, isn't it?" she said.

"Yeah, sure." Sokka replied.

Quickly and quietly, they made their way to the edge of the maze of tree houses.

"Be careful." Sokka told Tara as they departed.

After a quick friendly hug, she responded with a 'Ditto', and then headed off into the woods. She ran as fast as she could towards the direction Sokka had pointed out for her. The Freedom Fighters took to the trees, taking her normal hiding spot. So she ran until she found the Fire Nation camp. The bodies were still there, but Tara couldn't tell if they were dead or still unconscious, so she didn't stay long.

After she found her flier and her supplies, luckily still all accounted for, she traveled back to a tall tree. The spot was high up and was far enough not to be spotted but close enough so she could vaguely make out the closest tree house. Her flier was carefully perched on a couple strong branches but also secured to the tree as well. After eating until she was satisfied, having not slept much, Tara took the chance to curl up on a few particularly fat, closely packed branches.

And she, surprisingly, slept wonderfully. The sounds of sweet birdcall woke her up. Tara looked around wondering where it was coming from. Then she saw him. Jet's whistles sounded exactly like a bird! She was almost impressed as Tara could whistle pretty well herself.

Jet was a couple trees down and a lot lower than she was. Perched on a branch above him was Sokka. He was performing the old 'stick a knife into a tree and figure out if anyone was coming' trick. The warrior had taught her that once on one of their first few journey days. After all, there were few trees in the South Pole.

It must be their scouting mission. Sokka and Jet exchanged a few words and then several more birdcalls followed. Then Tara spotted the culprit, an old Fire Nation man. Soon, an interesting scene unfolded in front of her. In the end, an old man had been robbed, Jet and his goons had been the robbers, and Sokka tacked on another 'No, Jet; this isn't right' to his list.

The only thing Tara didn't disapprove of was Sokka's confrontation, even though it failed. Yes, Jet and his Freedom Fighters were turning into a problem; one that, apparently, Sokka and Tara had to figure out on their own. Hmm; that rarely happened.

The group left the old man in the woods and walked back to the hideout. Tara wished that she could spy and find out what happens afterward but, with no places to hide and her escape, knew it was too risky. So she waited, taking a short nap here and there, until nightfall. When it finally came she traveled from tree to tree until she made it back to the hideout.

Tara could see, however, that Sokka was already up and following Jet and some Freedom Fighters out into the forest on the other side. And so, she followed them. When Sokka made it to the ground, plus a little ways off, she pulled on his sleeve to let him know she was there. The warrior smiled and nodded, knowing it was too risky to even whisper. Finally, they stopped on a cliff side overlooking a water reservoir and a small Earth Kingdom town.

"Now listen," Jet began, "You are not to blow the dam until I give the signal. If the reservoir isn't full, the Fire Nation troops could survive."

"But what about the people in the town?" The Duke spoke up, "Won't they get wiped out, too?"

"Look Duke," Jet said, "that's the price of ridding this area of the Fire Nation. Now don't blow the dam until I give the signal. Got it?"

_Ohhh, no. That is NOT good. _Tara had heard all she needed. They probably couldn't stop them from bursting the dam by themselves. It was better if they just evacuated everyone in the town instead. Quickly, she bobbed her head to the left to signal Sokka that they should leave. But he shook his head.

"You go. I'll follow soon." He whispered almost inaudibly.

Tara nodded and sprinted quietly into the woods. After a couple seconds, though, she regretted it. Shouldn't they stick together? Suddenly, she heard something quite upsetting.

"Where do you think you're going, ponytail?" Smellerbee asked with a knife to Sokka's neck.

The big one, Pipsqueak, had a hold of his ponytail and was using it to hoist him a little into the air. Grief struck at Tara's heart. They better not hurt him.

"Sokka," Jet said calmly, "I'm glad you decided to join us."

Pipsqueak thrust him to the ground, as Tara watched from her new perch in a tree.

"I heard your plan to destroy the Earth Kingdom town." The warrior said angrily.

"Our plan is to rid the valley of the Fire Nation."

"There are people living there, Jet; mothers and fathers and children."

"We can't win without making some sacrifices."

"You lied to Aang and Katara about the forest fire!"

"Because they don't understand the demands of war; not like you and I do."

"I do understand. I understand that there's nothing you won't do to get what you want."

"I was hoping you'd have an open mind. But I can see you've made your choice. I can't let you warn Katara and Aang. Take him for a walk; a long walk."

Pipsqueak and Smellerbee began to bind Sokka's hands.

"You can't do this!"

"Cheer up, Sokka. We're going to win a great victory against the Fire Nation today."

The two Freedom Fighters herded Sokka into the woods in the opposite direction of the hideout. Tara paused. Jet soon left the cliff side and now only Longshot was there. The firebender flashed back to her weeks training to be a Yu Yan Archer. She stared longingly at his bow and arrows. Without thinking, Tara ambushed him. The attack took him by surprise so she easily grabbed hold of his weapons and dashed back into the forest.

Tara jumped from tree to tree following where she had last seen Sokka and his captors, not sure of what to do. Finally the firebender found them. But it didn't change her routine much. She didn't know how long it lasted but then at last, Sokka seemed to have come up with a plan.

"How can you just stand by and do nothing while Jet wipes out a whole town?" He began.

"Hey listen, Sokka." Pipsqueak replied, "Jet's a great leader. We follow what he says and things always turn out okay."

"If that's how Jet leads, then he's got a lot to learn!"

Just like that, Sokka took off into the woods. Tara wasn't sure if his plan was just running at first but then saw the genius. Pipsqueak and Smellerbee both got caught in their own individual animal trap while running after him. Of course! Before they had even begun that treacherous walk Momo, a lemur they found while visiting the Southern Air Temple, had discovered them.

"While you two are up there," Sokka taunted, "You might want to practice your knot work."

Tara smiled. While on the outside he was stupid, if he thought a little bit Sokka could be a real smarty. Then he went into a full fledged sprint back to the dam. Tara jumped down and began running beside him.

"We'll never make it to the dam in time, much less take the explosives down." Tara butted in.

"What else are we going to do, Tara?"

"We'll tell the townspeople, that's what!"

"Like they'll believe us!"  
"Better having a slim chance than no chance at all!"

Sokka looked at her, nodded, and changed course. It took a while for them to get to the Earth Kingdom town, so they probably didn't have much time. As the pair walked into the main gates they exchanged knowing glances.

And then began yelling warnings as loud as they could.

"Everybody out!" they screamed, "The dam's going to burst! Please, leave as soon as possible!"

After a couple of minutes, though, it was clear no one was listening. One of the Fire Nation guards came over and called them spies. That was kind of stupid. Why would a spy want a whole town to evacuate? What would the point of that be?

"Please, sir." Tara begged, "Everyone in town is in great danger."

"This whole place will be flooded very soon." Sokka added.

But again, he didn't believe them. Then suddenly, a vaguely familiar old man stepped out of the crowd.

"I believe them." He croaked, "Some mean friends of that boy robbed me. Only he objected. I can bet that they are the ones who are going to destroy the dam."

"They're no friends of mine, but yes. You're right." Sokka replied.

The guards were still skeptical but they decided to evacuate the people as a safety precaution. Lucky they did, because as soon as everyone was in the safe zone the dam burst. The water gushed towards the town and engulfed the whole place.

Sokka went to Appa so he could pick up Aang and Katara to get out of there while Tara headed towards her makeshift camp in the tree.

"Look at the skies and when you see Appa with all of us on it, follow." Sokka had told her before they parted.

"I know, oh mighty warrior. I do it almost every day."

They laughed. A couple minutes later they both took to the skies and headed away from the tree houses hideout. Tara hoped that they were lucky enough to never run into Jet and his Freedom Fighters again.

But Team Avatar wasn't known for being lucky, were they?

**No. This doesn't mean that I'm skipping right to when Jet comes back into the story. That would be incredibly stupid. I hope everyone likes this chapter! At least better than the last two. This one probably gives a taste of the future ones. Ones that don't involve Tara watching the whole entire time. Because that's just boring, isn't it? Personally, this episode is one of my favorites! I don't know about you… Please review! I would **_**greatly**_** appreciate it! And **_**keep reading**_**, for pete's sake. If you like it, even just a little, then favorite it! Gosh! That's what I do! Now if you hate it… well then don't. So review! Either way!**


	5. The Storm

**Thus begins chapter four…**

The Storm

Tara was walking through a market place searching for good bargains on fruit. The tiny wooden shops with green roofs smiled at her as she passed. It was a nice clear day. The firebender didn't have much money left, though; only two copper pieces. After she walked down every aisle, it was clear that there was no good food affordable for her. So, hoping the gang was buying something she could trade for, she headed down towards the docks.

Surprisingly, only one problem had arisen since they left the Freedom Fighters. The gang decided to help people cross the Great Divide. They could've just flown over, like Tara pretty much did, but nooo. _Whatever._

"Out of food and out of money!" Sokka was saying, "Now what are we supposed to do?"

"You could get a job, smart guy." Katara replied.

Tara liked the sound of that; Sokka… at his job. It ought to be hilarious. If he could find one, that is. Suddenly, an old couple began bickering behind the gang. Apparently they were fisherman but the woman said that there was a big storm coming and that she refused to go.

_A storm? Please…_ The old man ended up yelling that he'd get someone better to work for him. That was when Sokka butted in, saying that he would take the job. And just like that, he was hired. A couple minutes later, the warrior was aboard the small fishing boat getting ready to go out on the sea. But huge storm clouds had appeared over the sky.

"Sokka, maybe this isn't such a good idea." Aang said, "Look at the sky."

"I said I'm going to do this job. I can't give up just because of some bad weather." Sokka replied as he hoisted up a large package.

"The boy with the tattoos has some sense!" the old woman, who was still around for some reason, yelled.

Tara laughed softly from a close by aisle. It seemed that everyone they met first described Aang as 'the boy with tattoos'. The old man suddenly looked up, surprised.

"Boy with tattoos?" he repeated, "Airbender tattoos. Well, I'll be a hogmonkey's uncle. You're the Avatar, ain't cha?"

"That's right!" Katara responded.

Aang smiled.

"Well, don't be so smiley about it." The old man said angrily, "You turned your back on the world."

"Don't yell at him!" the waterbender defended, "Aang would never turn his back on anyone!"

"Oh, he wouldn't, huh? Then I guess I just imagined the last hundred years of war and suffering."

"Aang is the bravest person I know. He has done nothing but help people and save lives since I met him. It's not his fault he disappeared, right Aang?"

But the airbender's face was filled with hurt and shame. He was backing up warily.

"Aang, what's wrong?" Katara continued.

He still didn't responded but instead took off on his glider and flew away.

"That's right, keep flying!" the old man just kept on insulting.

"You're a horrible old man!" the waterbender cried before she hopped on Appa and went off after Aang.

Tara shrugged. Sometimes she was glad she wasn't in the gang. It was just too full of drama.

After they both left Tara came out of the shadows and walked over onto the decks. The firebender calmly rested her crossed arms on the edge of the old fisherman's boat. Sokka had been below deck and came back up soon after.

"Ah!" he yelled in surprise, "Stop doing that."

"Doing what?" Tara replied innocently.

"Just showing up out of no where!" the warrior said.

"Who's she?" the old man asked, "Your secret girlfriend?"

"No!" they both cried out in unison.

"Just a secret friend." Sokka told him.

"Yup." Tara smiled, "Shh. And can I come along, too?"

"What?" Sokka said.

"Fine. But I'm not payin' you." The fisherman told her.

"Sounds good to me." She said simply as she climbed onto the boat deck and grabbed a box.

Quickly, with her haul, the firebender followed the warrior below deck.

"Why do you want to come along?" he asked.

"Well, I've got nothing better to do. Besides, I get to spend time with the mighty warrior! I never get to spend much time with him anymore."

Sokka smiled which meant Tara won. Well, she usually did, anyway. The rest of the day the three of them spent on the water, fishing. While she had never done it before, Tara wasn't half-bad at it. Pulling the nets up were the hard part. The old man wasn't that mean after an hour so. After that, he was just funny in a mean way.

And the whole time she and Sokka bonded more! _Whoa. That was super cheesy._ Yeah, as if the pair of them could bond any more.

By the end of the day, it was looking like a good haul. Unfortunately, it began pouring rain. It had surprisingly been drizzling for a while, but nothing to get them worried. Now, Tara was starting worry.

"Get all the fish below deck." The fisherman ordered, "We don't want any to be washed overboard."

Sokka and the firebender immediately grabbed the barrels full of fish that were rolling across the deck and brought them below. Meanwhile, the storm was getting worse. The waves grew higher and water kept washing aboard.

Once the fish was away, the three of them grabbed hold of the ropes that helped control the sail. Lightning struck all around them and Tara's teeth began to chatter. They were all completely drenched by now.

"How are you doing?" Sokka yelled over the rain.

"Um, I'm good; I guess." She replied, "You?"

"Bad. I think we're all doing bad."

"Yeah, well, optimism isn't a crime."

"Stop your chatting and concentrate on keeping us from dyin'!" The old fisherman interrupted.

All in all, their situation wasn't a very good one. And then it got worse.

A huge wave was lumbering straight for their tiny boat and Tara couldn't keep in a gasp. Sokka, however, settled for an, 'oh, no'.

"Grab on to somethin'!" the old man instructed.

But there wasn't really much to hold on _to_. The fisherman wrapped his arms around the mast and Sokka took the other half of it. With nothing left, Tara didn't know what to do.

"Hold on to me!" Sokka yelled.

The firebender didn't hesitate. She wrapped her arms around the warrior's waist and held on for dear life as the giant wave washed over them. The side of her face was pressed against his wet back. The water crashed down onto them and the power of it made her hands slip away from each other.

Before she knew it, the wave was carrying her across the deck and slammed her into the railing.

"Tara!" She heard Sokka yell.

But before he could make it to her another wave came from the side. Tara scrambled to get up, her exhausted body refusing. Yet again, though, the water hit her head on. It missed Sokka by inches. This time, the wave lifted her overboard. Luckily, the firebender got a hold on the edge of the railing.

With all her might, she tried to haul herself up but with only one hand it was a futile attempt. More waves crashed into her and her lonely hand began to slip until it let go entirely. For a few seconds she was free-falling and then her hand was grasped in Sokka's.

"Don't let go!" he told her.

"Wasn't planning on it!" Tara responded.

Inch by inch, she got farther away from the ocean's surface until she was face to face with Sokka. She used her other hand to grab the railing's edge and helped pull herself up. Finally, Tara's shins were both on the edge and her hands were grasping the warrior's shoulders.

"Hi." She smiled.

"Hey." He returned.

"Look out!" the fisherman's voice came.

In mere seconds, a wave hit both of them and Tara lost her balance. Sokka was slammed into the railing as she was suddenly plummeting into the raging ocean. The cold water hit her like knives and she was sent even deeper into the abyss. With the strength she had left the firebender swam back towards the surface, suddenly urging for air.

Once she got there, she had time for only a quick breath and a glance of the boat before another wave sent her tumbling back. Tara kept repeating the process, each time the boat got farther and farther away and she swam up a little slower. She had to find shore. There was no question about it. It took her a couple breaths, but eventually she got a good look at her surroundings.

And it was all ocean. There was no land in sight.

Despair filled Tara up. What was she going to do? What could she do! Soon, her limbs grew tired and she couldn't swim any more. Things were looking bleak. She made her last breath last for as long as she could. Eventually, she let it out and accidently gulped a mouthful of saltwater. No air; she needed oxygen.

The firebender struggled to get to the surface and she was almost there too, before she finally blacked out.

The next thing Tara knew she was waking up. Her stomach was pressed against cold rough ground. And it was windy… really windy. _Wait a second._

She flew open her eyelids and screamed. _I must be dead… or hallucinating. Most likely dead. _But she wasn't. Instead she was on the back of a red dragon. It was a dragon; right? And that wind? Well, it _was_ air; air whipping her still damp hair behind her. Yup, they were flying.

How was this even happening? Dragons were extinct. Everyone knew that. And yet here she was on the back of one. Carefully, Tara grabbed the dragon's closest horn and used it to hoist herself into a sitting position. Suddenly, she was way more comfortable. It was just like riding an ostrich-horse, though she had never done so herself.

It was still pouring down rain and lightning. The water was as choppy as ever. The firebender couldn't even make out the fishing boat. She began to worry about Sokka. Was he thrown overboard, too? She just hoped he stayed on the deck until Aang and Katara came to rescue him. They obviously weren't going to just assume he was okay. When did Katara ever do that?

Suddenly, Tara could make out land.

"Um, Dragon, are we going there?" She said half-wondering if it was going to answer.

But it didn't. Though, it appeared that they were as they were heading straight for it. The land was really a huge cliff but Tara knew that there must be grass on top; or something to stand on. The dragon stepped onto the ground and immediately lifted off again.

"Wait! Dragon, go back!" the firebender yelled.

But at that moment everything changed. Her surroundings blended together until it was a mush of color. The only thing normal was Tara and the dragon. She just stared in awe. _Oh, gosh. Am I dead after all?_

Then the mush of color thinned out and suddenly they were in a whole new place. The sky was a sandy yellow color and was sort of misty. There was shallow clear water everywhere and trees whose roots were above the swampy ground or the water. The ground itself was covered in more roots and brown vines.

"Ugh." Tara said simply, "Where am I?"

The dragon kept flying, weaving through the monstrous trees. Finally, they came upon an expanse of land that wasn't inhabited by any trees. The ground was covered in green grass and was really in contrast to the surrounding area. The dragon alighted onto it and Tara swiftly slid off its neck.

The firebender stared at what was around her. The temperature was perfect; not cold or warm. She turned towards the dragon. It's golden eyes locked with her's.

"You saved me." She told it softly, "Thanks."

To her surprise, it nodded curtly.

"So, where are we?"

One of its long whiskers reached forward towards her forehead. Tara fought the urge to back away. Once it touched her skin, a vision flashed before her eyes. First there was Aang in his Avatar State. Then she saw Hei Bai, that panda spirit. There was a flash of the moon, and then the sun. Then she was back staring at the dragon.

"The Spirit World." She whispered.

The dragon nodded again.

"Why am I here?" she asked frantically. Suddenly, a thought popped into her head. "Why did you save me?"

But it didn't answer. It just kept staring at her.

"It is I who sent Fang." A woman's strong voice rang out.

It made Tara jump and spin around to face the voice. The woman was tall with long golden hair and amber eyes. Her face had smooth soft features. She wore a silk gown with red, orange, and yellow colors. She was showing off her perfectly white teeth in a large smile.

"I am sorry I startled you, Tara." The woman said, "My name is Saol."

She reached out her hand, but the firebender just looked at it.

"How do you know my name?" she demanded softly, "Why did you send… Fang… after me?"

"My old friend, Roku, owed me one." Saol laughed.

"Avatar Roku?" Tara glanced back at the dragon. Now things were making a little more sense. "You still didn't really answer my questions."

"I know your name because I know many things. I sent dear Fang to rescue you because it was not yet your time."

The firebender stared at the woman with her mouth slightly open.

"You're a spirit too."

"Yes. I am."

"So, why do you care about me?" Tara wasn't really used to that concept.

"That, my dear, is on a need to know basis."

"Well, it's my life so I would like to know."

"And you will soon enough. For now, Fang will take you back to your world."

"But I still I have more questions!"  
"Don't we all. We will meet again, though. I promise."

"When?"

"By summer's end, we will have met."

Tara thought about that for a second. Wasn't Sozin's Comet coming then? Yeah, it totally was. That ought to be epic. But why couldn't she know stuff now? There was so much she didn't know. Plus, it seemed that Saol knows _everything_ and some of it was about Tara.

But the firebender simply nodded and swung her legs back on top of Fang. The journey back was less amazing. They flew a while longer until the world blurred, thinned out, and suddenly, they were home. Well, not really; just in the actual world. The dragon flew all the way to where Tara had set up camp. Everything was just as she left it.

Except everything was soaked. She didn't like the sound of sleeping in a soggy sleeping bag. Not that she could sleep. No, she was wide awake. The firebender turned to say goodbye to Fang.

"Will I see you again, too?" the firebender asked with a smile.

His whisker poked her forehead once again. This time the vision was a great ball of fire zooming high in the sky.

"On the day of the comet? Geez, everything is happening that day. Well, I'll see you then, Fang."

He did that curt nod of his before flying into the clouds. It wasn't long until he simply vanished, no doubt back into the Spirit World.

"Tara!" Sokka yelled as he hugged her tightly.

"Ah! Why is everyone sneaking up on me today?"

"What?" he asked with an eyebrow cocked.

"Nothing."

"I'm just happy you're alive. How did you get here?"

"I… uh… I swam."

Tara didn't know why she lied. She never lied to Sokka. But… somehow this seemed to be… well, on a need to know basis.

"You swam out all the way to shore?"

"Um, yeah. I'm a pretty good swimmer."

The warrior stared at her for a moment.

"Okay!" he smiled before hugging her again, "Don't ever do that again."

"What? Getting thrown overboard by a giant wave? How do I keep that from happening?"

"I don't know. Just… don't do it."

"Whatever you say; oh, mighty warrior."

The two of them laughed. Suddenly, in mid-laugh, Sokka broke out in coughs.

"Are you okay?" She asked, concerned.

"I'm fine."

_Yeah, sure. Two days from now he'll be utterly sick. _Two days later: _Not everybody has the gift, Sokka._

**Did anybody catch the reference to The Blue Spirit and The Fortuneteller at the end? Both of which are not being featured, by the way. **

**OMG! I'm finally done with this chapter. Sorry about its lateness. It's not even my longest one. It's just… I hit a road-block… about things that happen in the third season. It's just I have all these epic plotlines planned and they make Book One look… annoying. Don't get me wrong, these chapters are okay. I like them. (I don't know if _you_ do) I just have to get past these before I get to my favorite plotlines EVER. **

**So please review. Give me criticism! If I truly need it then it's welcomed! Tell me how awesome you think it is! If you do indeed think that this story is awesome. **

**Just review, okay?**

**Thanks for reading!**

**Oh, and if anyone wants some insight to who exactly Saol is here is a clue. Use Google translator from Irish to English with her name. Will _you _figure it out?**


	6. The Northern Air Temple

**What's that? Oh! It's chapter five!**

The Northern Air Temple

Tara sighed as she put on her heavy Water Tribe coat. She hadn't worn it in a while but she remembered it was cold in the Air Temples. The firebender had always felt much more comfortable in her regular outfit.

Aang, Katara, and Sokka had a couple adventures since her visit to the Spirit World. Aang got captured by her old pals, the Yu Yan Archers; oh, and Zhao too. Luckily, Zuko showed up in a strange mask and saved him; weird though. An old fortuneteller almost got a village destroyed by a volcano. They found an old friend, Bato, and got tracked down by Zuko, Iroh, and some freaky lady with a shirshu. Tara and Sokka had had a big fight that time. Lastly, Aang almost learned firebending by an ex-soldier.

It was all a little confusing.

Now they were headed towards the Northern Air Temple. Aang has his hopes up that there are airbenders there. Especially since he heard some guy say that he spotted some. Tara didn't believe him, but anything could happen.

With all her supplies packed and firmly attached to her flier, she grabbed hold of the bar for her hands. After a small run, she jumped into the air and planted her feet onto their bar. Then, as usual, she was flying. Tara squinted her eyes in search for the fluffy white bison in the sky. Once she spotted it, she jerked a little left to follow their course.

The skin on her palm began to ache after a while. This journey was really roughing up her hands. She had never flown for such long periods of time in the South Pole. There was never a need to. But it wasn't long before the Air Temple was in sight. Tara smiled. This temple was just as beautiful as the southern one. Appa was way ahead of her, and suddenly she spotted Aang jump off of him and begin using his glider to airbend.

Was he that happy? Then Tara spotted things flying around the temple. _What do you know, there really are airbenders left. _But there was something different about the way they flew. The closer the firebender got, the more it became clear. The people weren't airbending; they were gliding. And they were doing it using exact replicas of her flier.

But it wasn't possible! How could they have ones exactly like hers? Tara thought back to what her father had said when they first got the flier.

"A man supplies our navy with useful inventions like this in return for safety." He had informed her.

Back then she had thought it meant the Fire Nation was protecting him. Now she knew they would never do that. It had to be blackmail. Huh, she had never really thought about that until now.

At least, she could fit in with all the fliers. Tara directed herself into an air current and managed to speed up a little. Eventually, she made it past Appa. As she passed the gang, Sokka caught her gaze and she laughed at his shocked face. He was way too worried.

The other people on fliers were making loops and doing other tricks. Tara didn't know how to do that stuff and she soon felt sort of left out. Quickly, the firebender landed on an open area where other fliers were parked.

She soon realized a problem. Where was she going to stay? There wasn't ground an easy access away. It wasn't like at the Southern Temple. That place was deserted. This temple was actually inhabited. Tara's solution: just blend in. It couldn't be that hard; right?

"Are you with the newcomers?" A voice behind her said.

The firebender spun around. The voice belonged to a girl about her age. She wore simple Earth Kingdom clothing, elbow-length sleeved shirt with a long skirt, with tan and light green coloring. Her brunette hair was pulled back into a tiny bun behind her head. Her bright blue eyes were shining and she had a large grin on her face accompanied by dimples. She didn't seem to be threatening her.

"Well, I'm a friend of theirs. But I'm actually not supposed to be here. I met them at a village close-by. I was going to surprise them at another village beyond this place. I didn't know they'd be stopping here." The firebender lied hopefully.

She didn't know where the story came from, but she wasn't complaining.

"Okay. Your secret's safe with me. My name is Cara."

"Wonderful! I'm Tara!" she laughed.

The two girls laughed about the similar sound of their names and began walking around the temple. Cara showed the firebender everything and had a comment for all of it too.

"So why not just surprise your friends here?" Cara asked during their walk.

"Well, a few other people from the village are surprising them too. They're leaving tomorrow but someone had to follow Aang, Sokka, and Katara. I know my other friends would be disappointed if I blew everything."

Tara's newly found lying skills were kind of reassuring. She was sure it would come in handy many more times.

"That makes sense. Well, I'm sure you'll be welcomed at my place. Although, my mother makes the final decision."

They giggled a little but soon continued their talk.

"Thanks. I wonder how long we'll be staying."

"You can stay as long as you want; don't worry."

Tara smiled. She hoped she didn't have to lie anymore. It was already beginning to stress her out.

Cara's tour consisted of mostly large machines whose pipes intruded onto all the ancient paintings that covered the walls. Statues of old monks were missing limbs. Once beautiful fountains were filled with polluted muck instead of nice water. Yet, all of her comments were positive. The firebender wondered how Aang was taking all of it; probably not too well. In fact, a few minutes later a large 'boom' sound came from the other side of the temple, followed by a crash.

"It's just the construction." Cara reassured.

Tara nodded but something told her that the kid with the arrow tattoos must've had another freak-out. Why does he insist on coming to the temples when he gets upset every time? Of course, this is only the second they've visited but… whatever. That wasn't important.

Sokka was probably having the time of his life. When it came down to it, he was pretty intelligent about science and math; inventions and stuff. It was just normal things that made the warrior look stupid, because well, when it was about that stuff, he _was_ stupid. Who knows what _Katara_ was thinking about the Northern Air Temple? She was just impossible to figure out. End of story.

It was almost dark outside by the time they went to Cara's home. It was made up of a series of medium-sized rooms filled with hand-carved furniture. A few pipes appeared along the ceiling here and there but, other than that, there wasn't as much machines as the rest of the temple. Cara's parents welcomed Tara graciously and made her feel bad that she was lying.

"Please call me Egao." The man told her, "And this is my wife, Mhin."

Egao's smile was even larger than Cara's and his white teeth shone brightly. He was a shorter man but his hands seemed huge and tough. His shirt and pants were both a rich emerald green. His outfit was complete with a light tan belt and matching shoes. He also had dark brown hair that hung loosely above his ears.

Mhin's face was soft and her smile was tiny and petite. In fact, her whole body seemed petite. Her light brunette hair was pulled back in a ponytail that fell down along her back. Her outfit looked similar to Cara's but was changed by quaint embellishment along the edge of the skirt and sleeves. In addition, she wore small pearls in her ears. She didn't talk much but seemed very nice, while Egao was outgoing just like Cara.

"Oh, and you must see my little brother!" the girl insisted as she grabbed Tara's hand and pulled her into another room.

Inside the room were a few more carved couches and chairs with sewn cushions. But there was also a beautifully carved crib. The bars looked like little platypus-bears, moose-lions, and badger-moles holding up the top bar. There was a sewn green cushion and a matching blanket hiding a lump.

Cara reached in and pulled out a little baby. A thick layer of brown fuzz had grown on his head. He had tiny chubby cheeks and sweet hazel eyes with long eyelashes.

"Hey, little guy." Tara said in the traditional baby voice as she reached out her pointer finger for him to hold.

Just as predicted, the small boy grabbed her finger with a tiny hand and giggled.

"He likes you." His sister laughed.

"What's his name?" the firebender asked, her finger still caught in the boy's surprisingly strong grip.

"Sho,"

Tara nodded. It sounded appropriate.

That night, she slept on one of the couches with a few blankets. Cara wanted her to sleep in her bed but the firebender insisted that it was fine. Once it sounded like that they were all asleep, Tara silently pulled off her blankets and crept outside. Something had been bugging her all day and she needed to tell Sokka about it. Once she made to the large platform from earlier that day, the firebender gasped.

She had forgotten just how large and beautiful the moon looked from this high up. She then realized that she had no idea where the gang had camped out.

"Darn it!" she whisper-yelled as she kicked a pebble across the platform.

"There you are!" Sokka yelled from behind.

Before Tara could register what happened, the warrior engulfed her in a big hug.

"You seem happy." She observed once he was done.

"I've been having a pretty good day." He said with emphasize on the two 't's in 'pretty'.

"Good for you. But I think there's something going on here."

Sokka's eyebrows furrowed.

"Why? This place seems great."

"They have fliers just like mine. Whoever invented them did so for the Fire Nation and probably has made much more stuff."

"The Mechanist wouldn't do that."

"I don't think he wants to—wait. His name is the _Mechanist?"_

"Yeah."

She looked at him but he didn't seem to get it.

"What kind of a name is that?"

He shrugged and made one of those noises that sound kind of like, "mMm."

"Oh, whatever, I'm getting off topic. The Fire Nation is probably threatening him."

"How?"

"You know, like 'Do this or I'll kill you' kind of threat."

Sokka seemed to ponder that for a moment.

"I guess it's possible. I'm going to his workshop tomorrow. Maybe I'll find a hint or something. But right now I think it's best if we both just get some rest. We hardly ever get to sleep on real beds."

"I guess so. Good night."

"G'night, Tara."

The firebender watched her friend walk back the way he came until he was out of sight. Then she sighed. Sometimes Sokka just didn't get it. Then suddenly, the firebender yawned and she realized just how tired she was. Carefully, she made her way back to Cara's home. After a few dead ends, Tara finally found it again. Quietly, she climbed back under the blankets on her couch and drifted off to sleep.

"Tara!"

"Ahh!"

Tara fell off the couch in one quick movement. When she looked up Cara stood by her with a mischievous look on her face.

"Sorry." She laughed anyway, "It was pretty funny, though."

"That's okay." The firebender said as she pulled herself up, "It _was_ kind of a classic."

"Yeah. Well, breakfast is ready!"

"Oh, you guys don't have to feed me." Tara said guiltily, "Really, I have money."

"Nonsense," Mhin stated from the doorway, "Now come in before it gets cold."

The girls both smiled. She could now see now why Cara said her mother had the final word. Their meal was nothing special, scrambled platypus eggs with some pepper for flavor, but they all ate it happily. Baby Sho even received seconds. After breakfast, Tara helped clean up and then she and Cara went out to the platform again.

Cara showed the firebender her own flier, colored a pastel green.

"Where did you get yours since you don't live here?" she asked afterwards.

"I bought it in a market on Whale-Tail Island. There are a lot of crazy finds there." That idea just popped into her head. She had never even been to Whale-Tail Island.

"Hmm. That's strange. Oh, well. I hope you didn't pay too much for it!"

Cara laughed and so did Tara but a little more half-heartedly. For a while they the Earth Kingdom girl taught the firebender some tricks to do on their fliers. By noon, she had learned to do loops, swirls, and make a couple smoke messages in the sky. At one point, she had seen Katara and Aang up there too and had laughed at the waterbender's flying.

It was at noon that a boy one or two years younger than herself had begun yelling for everyone in the sky to come down. Cara and Tara had done so and were surprised to find out the news. Well, Cara was. The firebender had half-expected it.

"The Fire Nations is coming!" he yelled urgently, "There's going to be a battle. The Mechanist," _seriously, no one knows his real name? _"wants all of us on our fliers. We're going to be dropping small bombs on them. He'll also bring out a new invention."

There was a lot of talk after that, as you could imagine.

"What're we going to do?" Cara said to her worriedly.

"We'll do what we were told to: use our fliers. It should surely give us an advantage. Plus, that new invention of… The Mechanist; that should come in handy, too."

"You seem so sure. How can you be?"

"Eh, I've seen a lot of stuff."

"You've fought firebenders before?"

Tara almost laughed.

"Well, kind of."

"Good enough for me. I guess we'll just wait for me news, huh?"

"Yeah. I guess so."

For the next few minutes, the two girls sat cross-legged on the ground in an awkward silence. Luckily, Sokka appeared with his arms full of tiny sacks. He began distributing them to all the people with fliers.

"Oh, no; you're friend!" Cara warned.

"What?" Tara wondered for a second, "Oh, yeah! Um, that's okay. He can keep a secret."

When the warrior made his way over to them Cara giggled ever so slightly and the firebender sighed.

"Hey, Sokka." She said innocently, "What's the news?"

He eyed her suspiciously.

"You guys are going to be dropping these bombs on the intruders. When you need more, Katara will be handing them out on top of Appa. The Mechanist and I will be working on a war balloon and we should be able to turn the tides if were losing."

"I see your being very positive." She smirked, "Anything else?"

"Uh, no."

"Are you sure?"

"Fine. You were right and I was wrong. Happy?"

"How could I possibly be happy when we're being attacked? Use your head, oh mighty warrior."

"I'll see you later, Tara."

"Ditto."

She smiled in triumph as he walked back into the temple. She didn't bother over thinking how they had found out about The Mechanist guy's big secret. Who cares? Does it really matter now?

"What was that about?" Cara asked suspiciously.

"Just an inside joke."

"Uh huh."

"What?"

"Nothing."

Tara narrowed her eyes jokingly. It wasn't long before they both broke out into laughter.

"What are you doing!" the older boy's voice boomed from behind them, "This is no time to laugh!"

"Calm down, Joshi. We're getting ready, alright?" Cara said in annoyance.

Joshi huffed but didn't respond and walked away.

"What's his problem?"

"Nothing. He's just annoying."

Tara nodded. Some people were like that.

But, in a way, he was right. So she quickly tied her several bombs to the front handlebars of her flier. That way it would be easier to unleash them upon the enemy. Cara followed suit. In the middle of this task, the sounds of marching soldiers came from the side of the mountain.

"They're here." Cara whispered with her eyes wide.

The kid in the wheelchair, whom Cara informed her was named Teo, and Katara rushed out onto the platform. In an uncalled signal, they all readied themselves with their fliers. In one quick motion, they all ran and took to the skies. The ones who didn't have fliers stood by and cheered them on.

Tara gasped. Hundred of soldiers were marching up the side of the mountain. In the distance, she could make out strange looking tank-like things. _Not good._ So she did the only think she could think of: fight.

She flew parallel to the mountainside dropping bomb after bomb on the intruders. Flames or spears would occasionally shoot up after her but she would expertly maneuver out of the way. Soon she ran out of ammo and had to rush over to Appa where Katara handed her a new bundle.

It was sort of ironic that the waterbender was unknowingly giving _her _bombs. In fact, Tara smiled at the thought of it. She didn't smile for long, though, because that was when the tanks arrived. Fire shot out of a small window in the front of the machine. Grappling hooks fired up the mountainside. To her surprise, the grappling hooks supported the whole tank as it drove up the mountain.

_Gosh, how is that possible? _But Tara didn't wait to attack much longer. In a jolt of the moment, she flew headfirst for the tank and swung her legs inside the window. As she did so, she shot fire from her feet and then quickly retracted them. She didn't really know what came over her but it worked and she only prayed that no one saw exactly what happened.

Aang managed to take out a few more but despite their efforts, the tanks made it to the first ledge. At some point Katara must've gotten off Appa because she then iced up a few, but they had a trick up their sleeves. When the airbender flung some over, the cockpit simply swung around. Tara couldn't imagine what the soldiers _inside _felt like. She shivered at the queasy feeling it must cause.

The battle soon became a big blur; flame there, metal here, drop a bomb over those guys. She caught a glimpse of Cara, Teo, Aang, and Katara once in a while but the real question was 'where was Sokka?' Where was The Mechanist guy and his war balloon?

Then, as if her prayers were being answered, it appeared. It was a huge red balloon with the Fire Nation insignia on it. _So that was almost going to be used against us. _Hanging from the basket were four huge slime bombs. One by one, they dropped onto the incoming soldiers and a huge chunk of them was taken out. Unfortunately, it didn't seem like enough. Man, Tara hoped that Sokka's rare genius would get them through.

Suddenly, the stench of rotten eggs hit her nose. _Great. Now the last thing I'm going to think about his rotten eggs. _At that moment, through the blur of the fight, she saw something big and metal fall to the ground.

"What the-?" Tara said to herself but never finished her sentence.

An explosion erupted from where the falling machine landed and her instincts told her to fly up as fast as she could. The firebender barely made it to the platform where she landed and promptly fell to the stone ground.

"Tara, are you okay?" Cara's voice asked from above.

"I'm good." The firebender responded as she sat up, "Just tired is all."

"Yeah, me too." The girl added as she sat next to her.

They spotted Aang join the crowd on the platform accompanied by Sokka and a man Tara assumed to be The Mechanist hanging by a rope from his glider. _That idiot warrior had flung their engine to the ground_, she thought affectionately.

With a smile, she got up and walked to the edge of the platform and peered down below. All that remained were a few ruined tanks. _Cool. We won._

Cara walked over to her happily.

"You hungry?" she asked.

"Starving; you?"

"Same; let's go find something to eat."

So the two girls walked towards Cara's home. Tara didn't know about the Earth Kingdom girl but she was hoping for something warm.

**Finally! This chapter is done! It took me so long. What with the beach and then I was depressed because I wasn't at the beach… anyway, here it is. I'm so sorry for the wait! Really, I wanted this to be over. You know why?**

**Because the next chapter is the book 1 finale! Epicness, here I come! I hope you like the first big battle of the series. Please review! Even if you have reviewed before, feel free to again! Oh and**

**Dear Zuzur,**

**Thanks for the awesome review! It just made my day! And yes, Saol is in fact an OC of mine. **

**And thanks to all of my reviewers! That includes: Zuzur, Elexa, Emmy413, Yemi Hikari, and i love athrun. You guys all made my day!**

**And another note. All of my OCs (except for Tara. Her name just popped into my head and I fell in love with it) have names that mean something in either Irish or Japenese. They always have something to do with the character's personality or appearance. Or perhaps their being. HINT HINT! Anyway. This is a long author's note. **

**Please review! I love all my readers! **


	7. Siege of the North Part 2

**Surprise! This is not a mistake! Don't search aimlessly for part 1! There is none! Enjoy…**

Siege of the North Part 2

Tara shivered and her teeth chattered as the blizzard grew worse. The snow was already up to her knees and more was falling. There was so much that the firebender could barely see. Why was she outside the city instead of fighting? Oh yeah, she had the idea of following Zuko with Aang. As if she could do anything.

But she had to try. What was the prince thinking, anyway? Did he have any kind of plan? If they didn't find a way out of the storm soon… well, Tara didn't want to know. Of course, at this point she wasn't in any better shape. Once in a while she would create a small fire in her hands as she trudged on.

The only way she could even see Zuko was Aang's glowing tattoos in the distance. It was pure chance that she had even seen him escaping the city. She had just surprised another soldier with firebending off the edge of the battle zone when she spotted them. The prince looked terrible. He seemed to be paler than usual and had extra burn marks on his face.

Tara would have been sympathetic had he not been carrying a rope-bound Aang in the Avatar State over his shoulder.

Zuko must've just exited the Spirit Oasis and started heading off towards the snowy wilderness outside the Northern Water Tribe's city. Naturally, she decided to follow him. Now, though, she wasn't sure if it was the best idea.

Perhaps, at this point in the story, it would be best to explain what had happened since Tara and the gang left the Northern Air Temple. They flew for what seemed like ages. Many times, the firebender thought her hands would break off. Eventually, they found the Northern Water Tribe. Or, really, it found them. Sokka found a girlfriend, Katara and Aang found a master. Other stuff happened too. It just didn't seem that important.

Until, of course, a huge fleet of Fire Nation ships appeared on the horizon. Then things got complicated. Tara was fighting the best she could, with just a bow and arrows, and firebending when there weren't any waterbenders around. She wasn't sure what was happening inside the gang. She didn't have a moment to spy. That's why it came as a surprise when she saw Zuko.

And that's basically what happened.

Suddenly, Tara spotted the prince turning left. A few minutes later she saw what he was heading for: a cave. Finally, shelter! It wasn't long before he disappeared into the cave along with Aang. By the time she arrived, Zuko had a campfire blazing. Tara managed to sit against the side of the cave entrance where she could hear what was going on, get a little warmth, and still remain unseen.

Carefully, she formed a larger ball of fire in her hands and cupped it inside her palms. To a non-firebender this would've been quite painful. To her, in the middle of a blizzard, it was very soothing. As Tara warmed up, she began to think a little clearer. Now, what was she going to do? Should she grab Aang and head back to the city? That would end in a dual with Zuko. Should she wait for the gang to come? That would be if they ever do. Plus, they didn't know her except Sokka. Maybe the firebender should just turn back now.

"I finally have you." The prince's voice came from the cave, "But I can't take you home because of this blizzard."

Tara held her breath.

"There's always something." Zuko continued, "Not that you would understand. You're like my sister."

_He has a sister?_

"Everything always came easy to her. She's a firebending prodigy and everyone adores her."

_Maybe it's because she's nicer than you._ Tara guessed.

"My father says she was born lucky. He says I was lucky to be born."

_Harsh._

"I don't need luck, though, I don't want it. I've always had to struggle and fight and that's what made me strong. It's made me who I am."

Tears sprang to life in her eyes. _No! Don't be sad for him! Remember everything he's done!_ Yet they fell anyway. It seemed that the prince was done speaking and immediately, Tara jumped up. The fire in her hands disappeared and she ran off to where she came.

It was difficult running in the deep snow and many times she paused to rest. All the same, she arrived back in the city in a shorter time than it took to get to the cave.

Once she arrived, the firebender collapsed onto the frozen ground gasping for breath. Tara buried her head in her hands for a moment more just thinking. Was it possible that something happened to Zuko that made him like he was? Is that what makes every evil person… evil? It didn't seem realistic. And yet, there had to be a reason.

"What's the matter, my dear?" a kind voice came from above.

Calmly, the firebender raised her head and looked at an old man.

"Nothing." She responded in a quiet voice.

"There is usually a reason for one to cry." He inquired as he reached out a hand.

Tara stared at it before slowly taking it and standing up.

"Then I guess it would have to be war." She stated still looking away.

He nodded.

"War brings many reasons to weep. What is your name?"

"Tara." She told him with no hesitation.

"Quite a beautiful name. I hear it is common in the Fire Nation."

She looked at him with wide eyes as she realized her mistake.

"You would know." She said while still managing to keep her calm voice.

To Tara's surprise, he laughed.

"Yes, yes. I suppose I would. What gave it away? My clothing? My hairstyle?"

"Your face." She responded without thinking, yet again.

"Do you know me from somewhere?"

"You travel. I travel. Probably just a coincidence."

"Not many travel to the Northern Water Tribe without a purpose."

"I trade. They have many nice things to trade for here. It's too bad they are now under attack."

"So you are on their side. It's okay. I figured you would be. Besides, many times I have seen that your side is the right one."

"What?" Tara slipped off her calm stature.

"Many other Fire Nation people are. But only a few of us take action. I am still here because my nephew still hasn't seen the light. Some may say that he was always his father's son but I know that to be a lie. He still resides on his mother's side of the family. I must make sure he follows it. In fact I must be going."

"But—"

"I just wanted you to know that you are not alone, my dear. Nor are you truly hidden."

With that, he turned around and walked towards the Spirit Oasis. With a small grunt he squeezed through the small hole of an entrance and disappeared.

_Goodbye, Iroh._ That was so weird. Then, as if life was trying to beat her, the moon was suddenly engulfed in red. Afterwards, a loud crashing sound erupted from the battlefield, as if gallons of water fell to the ground in one quick motion.

Knowing something was terribly wrong, Tara sprinted down the iced sidewalk back to the fight. On the way, she grabbed her bow and arrows from a crevice in the ice where she had stuffed them shortly before taking off after Zuko. As she ran, the firebender clumsily put her quiver over her shoulder.

It wasn't long before she arrived on the main battlefield where things had quickly gone from bad to worse. No one was waterbending. The Fire Nation soldiers were overtaking the warriors easily. A few waterbenders were fighting with their clubs and boomerang's but it was a futile attempt. Tara began to shoot arrow after arrow at the intruders but without a simple way to retrieve them, her quiver was getting much lighter.

Halfway through, she had a brilliant idea. As she loaded the bow, she set the tip of the arrow ablaze and then shot them. It wasn't much of a difference, but anything helped. For a split second the moon went back to normal and the waterbenders began to bend. But no more than a minute later, the moon disappeared altogether. Darkness shrouded the battlefield like a black veil. The waterbending failed again.

"What the heck is going on?" Tara whispered.

The firebender looked across the battlefield. Things couldn't get much worse. So, she ran back to the Spirit Oasis hoping to find out what was happening. As she ran across the icy ground she could see bursts of orangey light coming from the sacred place and managed to run a bit faster.

Once she arrived she silently opened the circular door and crept inside. The whole gang was there accompanied by Appa. A few soldiers lay on the ground and Iroh stood in the middle of them. Tara caught a glimpse of Zhao heading for the door behind her and so she quickly tip-toed up the nearest bridge. In a way, the absence of the full moon helped her shield herself from the others.

Praying that he wouldn't care, she hid behind Appa's large furry body. Suddenly, Yue appeared in front of the bison and walked over to the others who had all surrounded the Oasis. Tara glanced upwards at the saddle but quickly took a double-take. She had spotted a familiar black ponytail.

Her curiosity taking over, she quietly climbed up Appa's back leg and got on his saddle. Zuko was bound by Aang's previous rope. Of course the honest to goodness avatar wouldn't leave the prince in the blizzard to die. But what would they do to him now?

In the heat of the moment, Tara took out her remaining arrow and sliced the rope. With all her strength, she picked him up; one arm under his back and the other beneath his knees. She held her breath as she jumped down to the grass. Luckily, she didn't make a sound. _Thank the spirits!_ Quickly, she softly walked over the bridge and out of the Spirit Oasis.

Finally back in the city, she sprinted into the nearest house. Most of the homes had been abandoned in the battle. Only the largest, most secure, buildings were used to protect the woman and children. Woman weren't allowed to fight. Kind of stupid and there was a whole story that happened to the gang but that was about two weeks ago. Not important now.

Tara placed Zuko onto a heap of animal skins and sat cross-legged on the ground. She didn't really know what to do at this point. She should learn to think this stuff through. Suddenly, a bright blue light shone through the windows and the firebender got up and opened the door. A giant glowing fish was standing in the Spirit Oasis. It was so huge, only its feet were hidden. But it wasn't even a fish. It looked like it was made of water. She squinted and could make out the tiny form of Aang in the center of the spirit monster. He was in the Avatar State again.

"Who are you?" a demanding voice came from behind her which made her jump.

Zuko was standing up and assuming a firebending stance.

"Answer me!" the prince continued.

"I'm no one." Tara responded coolly.

With that she ran outside of the house and into the city. She prayed that he wouldn't follow. Tara sprinted alongside the water canals until she was once again on the edge of the battlefield. She pulled out her last arrow and readied it on her bow but something made her pause. Everyone, Fire Nation soldier and waterbender alike, seemed to be staring at her.

The firebender turned her head to the side and glanced behind her. It was the giant spirit fish and Aang lumbering towards the battle. He was sending humongous waves across the canals and down the side streets, no doubt at someone. Tara faced front again and saw that all the Water Tribe people were bowing down to the spirit.

At this point, she was panicking so she decided to do the most reasonable thing. She placed her weapons back into her quiver and bowed before the spirit fish. A moment later she could hear a rush of water and winced, fearing the worse, but in the end she remained dry.

A couple minutes later, Tara dared to stand straight again. She looked around and saw that all the Fire Nation soldiers were gone and only puddles remained. Was it possible that it was all over? She could see the glowing fish in front of the city, most likely destroying the Fire Nation fleet. Silently, she walked around the battlefield and retrieved the arrows she could find. Many were broken and useless but some were still useful. In the end, she had nine of the previous twenty.

Tara looked around. There were many wounded warriors and waterbenders but she couldn't really do anything to help. Already, the healers were running about taking care of the hurt. And so, she headed back to the place where she was staying. Because the Northern Water Tribe was a large city there was one small inn. Not many people visited the city but the man who kept it was kind and generous. He also had a good trading business that was convenient.

As she walked inside the snowy fortress, she was surprised to find he was already in his spot behind a desk.

"Back from the battle already, Chroi?" Tara asked with a smile.

"I'm too old for any battles. Only the waterbenders get to keep fighting in retirement. We warriors are forced into a life of leisure. Plus, I wanted to make sure my favorite customer is okay."

"I'm the only one staying here right now. Besides, I'm fine."

"Well, good. Women shouldn't be fighting anyway."

"_Women _enjoy making their own decisions. By the way, do you have any arrows to trade for? I lost a bunch of mine."

"Mighty shame. Those were some good arrows. I have a couple authentic Earth Kingdom ones. Not as good as your old ones, though."

As he said this he pulled out a long narrow box. He turned it towards her and opened it revealing about ten wooden arrows with plain stone tips. Tara smiled. They were perfect.

"I'll be right back." She stated excitedly.

Not waiting for an answer, she dashed up the stairs one flight. She opened the door to her room and walked to a shelf. On it was a large sack of leechi nuts. Upon leaving the Earth Kingdom, she had stocked up on them and packed about a hundred. Now she had only twenty left. It was lucky that Chroi happened to adore the nuts.

Quickly, she ran back down to the main room.

"How many?" Tara gasped as she plopped the bag onto the desk.

"Hmm." He contemplated, "I would say five will do."

The firebender smiled sadly. It almost hurt her to give him so few for something as valuable as arrows. He didn't realize how common they were outside of the poles. But she didn't argue. Those nuts were her only trading option.

Tara stuck her hand in the sack and pulled out a handful of leechi nuts. She carefully counted out five and placed them next to the box of arrows. Chroi smiled and picked them up and dropped them in his own box full of them. Of course, Tara's weekly fee was paid in the nuts. In fact, probably around seventy-five percent of them were given to the old man.

The firebender grabbed the box and her leechi nuts and walked back towards the stairs.

"Nice doing business with you." She called.

"Any time." He replied.

Once she got in her room, she emptied the box and restocked her quiver. Knowing the box would be nice for storing other supplies she placed it next to her nut sack on the shelf. Then she put her bow and arrows onto the dresser. It was daybreak but Tara was exhausted. She flopped down onto her bed of animal skins and quickly fell asleep.

When she woke up, the sun was already returning to the horizon. Tara yawned and combed her long hair. She could hear her stomach growling and dared to eat a leechi nut. Now there were only fourteen left. Oh, well. They probably weren't staying for much longer. Carefully she placed a white snow lilly behind her hair and completed her outfit. She grabbed her bow and arrows and left her room.

She skipped down the stairs, enjoying the evening air, and stopped dead in her tracks. Chroi was sleeping so she instead tip-toed across the room until she reached the exit. Once outside, she headed towards the royal palace. No doubt, there would be something going on over there. The streets were filled with happy people. The battle was won. The Fire Nation had left.

When she arrived at the steps of the Royal Palace she could see Chief Arnook, Master Pakku, and his other advisors at their seats talking. The gang was not with them. The firebender sighed and turned down a different street.

"Tara, wait!" a voice yelled.

She turned to see Sokka running towards her.

"It's good to see you." She smiled, "That battle was something, huh?"

He frowned.

"Yeah."

"What's the matter? Is someone hurt!"

"Yue died."

"Oh. Oh, I'm so sorry Sokka."

"She's the moon spirit now."

"Oh."

Tara wanted to know all about it but knew it was too soon. She just couldn't ask.

"I'll tell you everything some other time. What did you do during the fight?"

She shrugged.

"I fought. Saw Zuko twice. Nothing much."

"We caught Zuko. But somehow he got away."

"Weird. You know maybe he's not such a bad guy."

Sokka huffed.

"After all he's done? No, he's pretty bad."

"But something has always got to make someone bad, right?"

"Your dad is totally different, Tara. Not every Fire Nation soldier has had something like that happen to them."

She blushed. The firebender hadn't even though about that. It had never occurred to her that that was why she was thinking about Zuko.

"Okay. You're right. Just forget about it. What are Katara and Aang up to?"

"They're helping repair the big wall in front of the city. There was a lot of damage done, actually. It's helpful that everything is all made of ice and snow."

Tara laughed.

"Yeah, I guess so. So, what are we going to do now?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, we can check waterbending off the list, right? Aang has to learn earthbending next. Does that mean we're heading back to the Earth Kingdom?"

"That _would _make the most sense."

"Yep."

The two stood there in an awkward silence. Tara realized how far they had grown apart since they left the South Pole. They used to be able to talk so easily. Now everything was complicated.

Yeah. It sounded like a cliché but everything was changing again. Before, they were on a mission: get to the Northern Water Tribe. Now they were just going to walk around the Earth Kingdom until they find a teacher. It shouldn't be too hard.

And Zuko? Something was definitely up with the prince. He wasn't the angry guy like he acted. Tara knew there was something about him. But that was far off, she hoped.

"I'll see you later." Sokka said.

She nodded.

"Bye."

**EPIC! Well, not really. It was not as good as I hoped. And it was kind of short. I thought this would be super long. I guess because of all the critical stories jam-packed together in the actual show's finales just made for shorter written ones from one person's POV. Does that make sense?**

**In better news, this opens the gates to the second season! I have extreme true epicness planned for Book 2! I promise! It will definitely be better than the first season, I know that. Actually, I think we all know that. **

**In worse news, school is coming up. Who knows how much writing will be accomplished then. However, I hope that because these episodes have been planned so much it will be easier to write them. Just make sure to pay attention and look out for this story. **

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I did. I think that a lot happens. Please review! They always make my day! I think I've said that a bajillion times. Thanks for reading! REVIEW!**


	8. The Swamp

**Behold the first chapter taking place in Book Two! Are you as excited as I am? Enjoy!**

The Swamp

Tara flew straight ahead, her eyes fixed on a fluffy white speck. Below her was just about the biggest swamp she had ever seen. It began what seemed like a half-hour ago and she could still see it on the horizon in front of her.

Things hadn't really been going that great since they left the Northern Water Tribe. First a crazy Earth Kingdom general almost killed Katara in order to get Aang in the Avatar State. Keep in mind he was supposed to be our escort. Then the gang was forced to get lost in an underground 'love' tunnel with a bunch of hippies. It was lucky the Fire Nation was distracted by Appa when they attempted to fly over the mountain containing the tunnels. Tara made her way to the other side scot-free. Of course then the gang found out Omashu had been taken over by the Fire Nation. King Bumi was supposed to teach Aang earthbending but he was busy locked in a metal cage.

Which led to where they were now; aimlessly searching for an earthbending teacher. Yeah, things were going great.

Tara couldn't help feeling another unwanted adventure was coming on, though. She turned her gaze down towards the humongous swamp. The more she looked at it the more her mind wandered away. A couple minutes later, she was descending onto the marshy ground.

"What the spirits?" she exclaimed as her feet made contact with a spiraling tree root.

Quickly, Tara grabbed the wing of her flier as it began to slip off the small area. How did she get down here? The place seemed sort of creepy up close. She carefully dragged her flier off the root and onto a larger expanse of real land. The ground made squishing sounds with every step.

With a sigh, the firebender looked up. Immediately, she was amazed that she made it to the ground without getting caught in the vines that were everywhere. Then she realized that she had no idea where Sokka, Aang, and Katara were.

"Not good." She said to herself.

Tara planted her hands onto their perch on her flier and took to the skies but was almost instantly locked in a knot of vines. She managed to grab her whale-bone knife from her pouch and cut a few of the annoying bonds. Unfortunately, they were the wrong few. With a snap, the firebender fell into the water below. She stood up, now drenched, and saw her predicament.

Tara was trapped in a pretty large swamp with only a knife. Her flier, along with all her supplies, was hanging in the air unreachable. _And to think I thought things couldn't get any worse._

In frustration, she stabbed her weapon into the closest tree root. Breathing heavily, she turned her gaze into the forest.

"Hello?" she called hopefully, "Does anybody live here? Anybody at all? Any_thing_ at all?"

No answer came. Then suddenly, her sopping wet flower fell from behind her ear into the water. Tara sighed as she stared at the fresh white flower that she had picked this morning flow downstream.

Wait. Swamps didn't have currents, did they? She didn't think so. Seeing it as a sign, she grabbed her knife from its previous spot and ran after the flower. The firebender splashed through the water at top speed. Soon she was about a foot behind it but slowed down. She thought it best to follow it rather than pick it up. The white shape floated left and right. Tara had to climb over large roots a couple times and had to duck under them even more.

Then suddenly it stopped. The firebender skidded to a halt but got caught in the muddy bottom. She fell backwards into the water and scrambled back to a standing position. Freshly wet, Tara stared at the flower as it floated. She waited a few moments more for something to happen. She glanced around the surrounding area but saw nothing. _Great. Now what? What did I expect to happen anyway? _She looked at her knife still clutched desperately in her hand. There were red-hot sparks flying from her other hand that was balled in a fist.

"Calm down, sweetie. It's okay."

Tara's eyes flew up to meet the voice. She screamed and fell once again into the water. She had seen… no, it couldn't have been. The firebender looked back up and she was still there.

It was her mother smiling down at her. She was just how Tara remembered her. She had a relatively skinny face with high cheekbones which were adorned with freckles. Her golden eyes shone with reassuring comfort. She wore a long red robe with a golden flower design. Her black hair just brushed against the top of her shoulders. She had on golden chain earrings.

"Now we can match." Tara remembered her mother laughing on the last birthday the firebender had had with her whole family. She had given her her own pair.

Tara dropped her knife and sent her hands to her earlobes. Nothing hung there. They didn't match her water tribe get-up. Tears began to gather in her eyes and eventually spilled over.

"Oh, don't cry my little firebender." A new voice echoed.

Suddenly, her father materialized next to her mother. Tara gasped and staggered back a little more.

He looked like he used to. Short, raggedy black hair covered his ears. His clothing was simple and just the tiniest bit dirty. It was a maroon colored tank with a golden trim. His pants were a bit poofy and had the same coloring. He already had a few definite wrinkles and a broad chin. And his dark brown eyes sparkled as he talked.

"You know you're the spitting image of your mother." He smiled.

Tara simply stared in awe but her mother's grin grew even larger.

"We are so very proud of you." She added.

"I…" she struggled to find words. It was unbelievable. It wasn't possible.

Salty tears continued rolling down her cheeks as she started towards her parents. But she ran right through them which made her fall back into the water. Tara sat up and looked around desperately for them. But there wasn't a sign that anyone else had even been there.

Tara cried harder into her arms. She wasn't sure how long she was there before she noticed the sky was darkening. Night was already falling. The firebender wiped her eyes even though she was wet all over. Her stomach growled but in truth she didn't really feel hungry. Silently, she decided that she would explore in the morning.

Tara created a tiny ball of fire, about the size of a marble, and weaved it between her fingers. She stared at the orangey light as it slowly became the _only _source of light. The vines and trees obscured the moon from shining down to her. It wasn't long before her strength ran out and the firebender fell asleep with her head resting on her folded arms.

"Tara." A voice came accompanied with a small shake of her shoulder.

She opened her eyes slowly and yawned. It looked like dawn was just ending. Then she saw the worried face of someone familiar.

"Sokka!" she cried and jumped up.

She held the warrior in a tight embrace.

"Yeah. Hi, Tara." He croaked, "Loosen up, will ya?"

The firebender let go of him and wiped her eyes.

"Sorry, I thought I was lost." She managed a laugh.

"Hm. You dropped this."

Sokka held out her white flower, its petals still drooping from the weight of water. Suddenly, everything came rushing back to her. Tara took the bloom from his hand gingerly and simply looked at it.

"Something happened, right?" He said carefully.

She nodded somberly but never looked away from the flower.

"I saw my parents." Tara whispered, "They were happy. My father, his eyes… he hadn't changed."

A single tear made its way down her face.

"I almost believed they were real before they… disappeared."

"I saw Yue." Sokka said, though it sounded like it was hard for him to do so.

"As the moon spirit?" Tara asked, finally looking up at him.

Sokka had told her the story just a few nights before. It was still a hard topic for him.

"Sort of. But I'm sure it was just a hallucination."

"I don't think so. My flower brought me to this specific spot. That's not natural."

"We're just… hungry. That's all."

Tara shook her head but didn't say anymore. She didn't want a fight now.

"Where are the others?" She changed the subject.

"I don't know. I was looking for them when I found you. Where is the rest of your stuff, anyway?"

She had a short laugh.

"My flier, and everything else, is hanging by some vines… somewhere."

"Great," the warrior said sarcastically, "We lost Appa and Momo. Maybe they'll get together and have a party."

"Kind of unlikely, don't you think? I'm going to try and find my flier. I'm not going anywhere without it."

Tara began to slosh through the water in the direction she _thought_ was the right one. On the way, she spotted the glint of something shiny and grabbed her whale-bone knife straight from its watery grave.

"Are you coming?" She called.

"Uh, alright. For a little bit. But then I've got to find the others." The warrior responded as he ran to catch up with her.

_Such typical Sokka. So easy to manipulate._ The pair crashed through swamp water with Tara leading the way. They didn't talk much but she could hear Sokka mumble complaints once in a while which, of course, made her laugh. Eventually, the firebender spotted a large form hanging in the air.

"Found it!" She claimed as she picked up her pace.

"Huh? Oh!" the warrior yelled as he took off after her.

Soon they were both standing underneath Tara's flier.

"Someone's got to climb up one of those vines," Sokka said as he pointed towards a close-by clump of still hanging vines, "and then cut the ones keeping your flier up."

"Sounds like a job for a thin, agile—"

"Alright, I'll do it."

"I was talking about me, Sokka."

"I'm thin and agile!"

"Yeah… I guess. But I'm more-so; at least on the agile part. Climbing is one of my specialties."

"Where did you learn that in the South Pole?"

"I didn't. It was part of archer training. Duh."

"Oh. Uh, okay. You can do the climbing."

Tara smirked and walked towards the clump of vines. She stuck her knife into her pocket. Then she carefully chose what seemed to be the strongest one. But then she thought better of it. She grabbed the whole clump of green. With a grunt, she jumped and planted her other hand around them higher up. The firebender tried to dig the sides of her feet into the vines. It sort of worked but not as well as usual.

She continued the climb until she made it to the same height as her flier. Tara expertly moved her body so the vines would swing from side to side. Choosing her timing right, she jumped onto the hanging flier. The added weight snapped a vine or two but didn't do so much damage.

"Watch it!" Sokka called from below, "It almost fell right on top of me!"

"Oh, suck it up. It did not." The firebender smiled.

The warrior grumbled but didn't respond again. Tara's smile only broadened, soaking in the rare moment. She pulled out her whale-bone knife and paused to look at it. Sokka, himself, had crafted it himself for her. It had been a birthday present the year before the men of the Southern Water Tribe had left. The knife had been only the second weapon he had made without help from his father.

Tara sighed softly at the thought of those times. Wanting to get rid of the saddening memory, she tore the whale-bone knife through as many vines at once as she could. In short, it wasn't the best idea.

The remaining plants snapped and the whole structure fell to the swamp's floor. The firebender screamed in surprise as her long hair whipped upwards. The flier crashed into the water and Tara was quickly drenched once again.

"Are you okay?" Sokka asked as he sloshed towards her.

"I'm fine, really." She answered with a slight laugh, "It just surprised me."

She climbed off the flier, untied her supply sack from the foot ledge, and assessed the damage. Her extra two sets of clothing were soaked but would dry fine; her food looked okay except for the bread which was hopelessly soggy and gross. Tara dumped water out of her quiver but it didn't hurt her bow and arrows. Her flier was surprisingly undamaged especially for such a fall. _Thank the spirits!_

"Well, if everything looks good then I should be trying to find Katara and Aang." Sokka stated matter-of-factly.

Tara's eyes fell but she understood. It was obviously important.

"Yeah." She responded half-heartedly, "I'll follow a bit behind. I don't want to get lost. How's that sound?"

"Great. Whatever."

The warrior was already heading into the direction they came. Once she could only see a speck of him, the firebender grabbed the hands ledge of her flier and began walking tiredly after him. It was a while later that Sokka ran into his other companions; literally. They smacked right into him.

Tara couldn't hear their conversation from where she was but their expressions told the story. First Sokka was upset. Then Katara was upset. _Pretty normal._ Aang was ignoring then and seemed to change the subject. Then the warrior got all timid but kept talking. Katara's face softened. It was clear that they must've all had their own episodes in the swamp.

This place certainly was weird.

Aang pointed towards the biggest tree imaginable, seriously this was one big tree, and said something. Then Sokka got upset again which meant he was speaking logic. And then, of course, a giant vine monster attacked.

_Oh good. Something crazy happened. I was beginning to think this event would go on without any action. _

All three members of the gang ran in different directions and began attacking the monster with everything they've got. Sokka, naturally, got caught in its green-y clutches. This happened often and didn't even faze Tara who was simply watching the gang fight off the creature. The firebender just watched the whole thing unroll. Sure, she could help but that would result in revealing herself and it wasn't the right time for that.

When battles didn't involve fire, which happened a good amount of time, there wasn't much she could do secretly. And when fights did have fire being thrown around all she could really do was slow it down a bit; a trick she adapted from Katara's waterbending moves.

So, in reality, Tara wasn't being lazy; just practical. And anyway, the avatar gang always won. How could they not? There was always a pattern for this kind of stuff. If things did go bad, the firebender wouldn't hesitate to help, but spirits forbid something bad would happen!

Eventually, the battle got a bit interesting. The more vines Katara and Aang water-sliced off the monster, the more random body parts you could make out. She saw an arm and a leg numerous times before more plants covered them. In the end, Sokka was freed and the vine creature was revealed to be just a waterbender; a weird waterbender at that.

He wore only leaves and seemed a bit chubby, although how, in this deserted land, he could've become fat is beyong her knowledge. His name was Hue. The guy turned out to be some kind of soul-searcher, you know the type. The gang all sat down with him under the humongo tree and talked a bit. Tara carefully placed her flier under some loose vines and followed.

"I reached enlightenment right here under the banion grove tree." He said, "I hear it callin' me, just like you did."

Then Sokka decided to be Sokka.

"Sure ya did. It seems real chatty."

"See this whole swamp is actually just one tree spread out over miles. Branches spread and sink and take root and then spread some more – one big living organism, just like the entire world." Hue ignored the warrior.

"I get how the tree is one big thing, but, the whole world …" Aang wondered.

_Oh, no…_

"Sure. You think you're any different from me, or your friends, or this tree ? If you listen hard enough you can hear every living thing breathing together, you can feel everything growing. We're all livin' together, even if most folks don't act like it. We all have the same roots, and we are all branches of the same tree."

_Things just got spiritual. _Katara looked confused too.

"But what did our visions mean?" she asked.

Never Mind.

"Folks we think are gone. But the swamp tells us they're not." He responded calmly, "We're still connected to'em. Time is an illusion and so is death."

"But what about my vision? It was someone I had never met." Aang pointed out.

"You're the Avatar. You tell me." Hue smiled.

Aang put on his thinking face and seemed to mull this over.

"Time is an illusion… so, it's… someone I will meet ."

Leaf Man smiled even broader. Sokka frowned and stood up. _Yes! Thank you, oh mighty warrior!_

"Sorry to interrupt the lesson, but we still need to find Appa and Momo."

_Practical guy strikes again!_

Aang's eyebrows scrunched together.

"I think I know how to find them." He said as he placed his hand onto the closest tree root and concentrated deeply. At least it looked like he did. "Everything is connected."

Tara thought she saw the arrow on his hand glow slightly and suddenly a blue shiny light shot from the root he was touching. The light crawled along the ground at lightning speed heading straight for the firebender. Her eyes grew wide and, without thinking, she jumped to the side crashing into the water. The light zoomed by with hesitating.

Tara stood up dripping.

"Why am I always getting wet!" she mumbled as she shook herself off.

Shortly later, Aang air-ran right in front of her sending a wave of water on top of the firebender. Of course, then Katara rode a waterbending wave after him and another wave crashed. Tara sighed and walked behind the closest tree which was luckily large enough to cover her whole body. She could hear Sokka as his legs trampled through the swamp water and Hue's calmer footsteps sloshing through.

The firebender stuck out her arm with her hand in a 'thumbs up' sign, signaling the warrior of her whereabouts. The louder splashes stopped briefly but soon started up again. Eventually, they grew distant and Tara snuck a peek behind her; no one in plain sight. She stepped over to her flier, brushed off the foliage, and grabbed the nearest hand-hold. Dragging the contraption behind her, she slowly followed the path of destruction leading to where the gang had gone.

Eventually, she made it to a camp full of people wearing only leaves. In truth, it was a bit traumatizing. During the journey, it became night. A fire was blazing and Tara took a deep breath of the comforting element. The gang was circled around the campfire along with Hue and two other leaf-people eating large bugs. _No matter what, I'm not eating that._

In her hiding spot, the firebender had a supper composed of still damp meat and a handful of berries. After she ate, with her flier hidden, she climbed up the tallest tree and rested on a branch for a while. At that height, the moon was truly beautiful. The sparkling stars complimented its brilliance and the whole scene almost took her breath away. She was able to sleep for a nice amount of time before it was time to awake once again.

"Tara!" Sokka yelled nervously into the trees.

Her eyes shot open and the firebender made her way to the ground.

"Hey, Sokka." She greeted tiredly.

"What a day, right?" he commented.

"Yep."

Tara stared at the warrior. His gaze was pointing towards the sliver of moon you were able to see through the swamp's thick canopy. His eyes showed the sadness echoing. She hated seeing him this way.

The firebender grabbed his arm.

"Come on!" she cried excitedly.

"What?" he exclaimed.

"Just follow my lead." She told him hopefully.

Tara returned to her tree and climbed all the way to the top. When she reached the highest strong branch, she stopped and checked on Sokka. He was almost three quarters of the way up and struggling. The firebender couldn't help but laugh at the sight. She sat with her legs spread out across the long branch and leaned her back against the trunk. The warrior soon stood below her, his hands clutching Tara's arm for balance.

"Okay…" he said while still breathing heavily, "what?"

The firebender was grinning ear to ear and just couldn't stop smiling so she simply bobbed her head towards the sky. Sokka looked confused at first until he glanced upwards. Immediately, he gasped. His eyes locked with the moon that looked close enough to touch. It was like you could see every crater in its surface. But the glow behind it, oh the glow, it was simply amazing to look upon. Tara saw every star imaginable and it was like the sun had never gone to sleep. It was just that bright.

Sokka stared at the beautiful sky for a few minutes more.

"Thanks, Tara." He stated.

"Anything for you, oh mighty warrior." She smiled, "I know how much you miss her."

Sokka finally tore himself away from the moon and looked at her.

"Yeah." He whispered.

The firebender took a deep breath.

"I know that we're kind of focusing on this right now but… I was wondering."

"Anything."

"You saw… Yue. Katara saw your mother, right?"

His eyebrows furrowed.

"Yeah."

"Do you think..." Tara swallowed nervously, "Do you think my father is… dead?"

Sokka seemed to contemplate the suggestion.

"I don't know, Tara. Aang saw someone he would meet in the future. So there is really no way of knowing."

The firebender nodded. Of course, there was no way of truly knowing. She had just thought… it was a strange thought, is all. Suddenly, another thought hit her.

"Sokka," Tara started with a smile, "do you believe in the magical swamp now?"

The warrior frowned hilariously.

"No! I never said that!"

"It was more implied, but it was definitely there."

"No way! It's not possible, obviously..."

Well, that did it. Sokka was going off on a rant about science again. Tara smiled and laughed the whole time, genuinely enjoying his comments. Yes, things were turning around it seemed. Just look at this particular event. It had almost no plot what-so-ever.

**OH MY GOSH. I finally finished. I'm so sorry for the wait, readers! I was banned from the computer for a week (don't ask) and I had a bit of a road block about this chapter. I've always known I've wanted to do this one because of the whole vision thing that I just **_**had**_** to explore. As you probably already know, The Swamp actually doesn't have a very detailed plotline. The purpose of the episode is mainly for the visions. I began writing this chapter expecting it to be quite short. I have compared my othe chapters to it know and have dscovered that it is actually my longest. Oh, well. That's good, right? I hope it's not boring at times. I just hope you guys like it!**

**REVIEW! Please, oh please, review! It's just awesome to hear feedback! Really!**

**I promise to have the next chapter ready sooner! Thanks for reading!**


	9. The Chase

**AHHH! Epicness! I have waited **_**forever **_**for this episode! Enjoy!**

The Chase

Tara flew through the night sky. She struggled to keep her eyes open as she tried to focus on what was ahead of her. Determination kept her going. The train underneath her rode full steam ahead. It had been chasing them since sundown. Already, the gang had had to flee their camp three times. The third time they stayed long enough to find out that the train was led by three Fire Nation girls.

Since they left the magical swamp, a new member had joined the gang. Well, first Aang was put in jail. But that's off topic. Toph, a blind tom-boy, was the avatar's new earthbending teacher. She's got some parent problems but, hey, she seems alright. Unfortunately, Toph hadn't got to teach Aang anything yet. It was their first night with her and things weren't going well. The earthbender had a fight with Katara. Why can no one get along with her?

Finally, things cooled down and everybody went to sleep, for about ten minutes. That's when Toph woke up from her 'feel the vibrations in the earth' power. _So cool. _She said that something big was coming.

So everybody packed up and left. Lucky for Tara, she was just getting up to find Sokka for their nightly meeting. All these events led up to the gang and the firebender struggling to stay awake as they flew away. She could just imagine the tension aboard Appa. It almost made her laugh.

But all the firebender could make out was a fluffy little dot on the horizon. Crawling along the ground in front of her was a huge metal train. She had to do something. Anything, but at the moment all she wanted was sleep. It was already day and she hadn't even gotten a wink of it.

Suddenly, Appa seemed to fall out of the sky. For a few terrifying moments, Tara thought they were going to crash. But then he seemed to gain control and land, though not as gracefully as usual.

The firebender pushed herself as hard as possible but it was clear she wasn't going to go any faster than the train beneath her. Soon, Tara found that she couldn't keep her eyes open. She raised her eyebrows up and down in a last effort.

_Slam!_ She made contact with hard bark and fell, crashing into each branch as she did so. She hit the ground with a 'thud' and was quick to moan. Tara managed to open her eyes. Immediately, she saw her flier stuck in a high branch. Well, it wasn't the first time for that to happen.

"Who are you!" a demanding voice came from beside her.

Tara jumped into a sitting position and saw Toph standing before her in a ready fighting stance. _That's different. _No one had ever seen her before. Darn it! What was she going to do?

"Uh…" the firebender stuttered.

"You better tell the truth." The earthbender said.

"Tara." She instantly responded. "I'm Tara."

"Alright." Toph stated, still not relaxing her stance, "What are you doing here? I felt you around yesterday."

"You did?" the firebender asked.

Then she felt a bit stupid. Of course she would. It was all over.

"Why didn't you tell the others?" Tara asked nervously.

"I didn't think it was too important. Now answer my question."

She swallowed.

"I mean no harm, really. I'm on your side even if I am Fire Nation—"

"You're Fire Nation?"

Her eyes got huge. _Stupid, stupid! She's blind, you idiot! She wouldn't realize!_

"Yes. Does that… bother you?"

"Just tell me why you were following us!"

"I'm a friend of Sokka's, okay?"

Toph's left eyebrow went up as she brought her arms down to her sides.

"So, why did you hide?" she said the first thing in a softer voice.

Tara sighed. Is this it, then?

"It's complicated."

The earthbender surprisingly sat next to the firebender and seemed to stare straight ahead.

"I can respect that."

"You believe me? You won't tell?"

"I'm never seeing them again anyway. I just wanted to make sure they were safe from you."

"Oh. Wait! You can't leave! Aang needs you to teach him!"

"Hmph! There are plenty of other earthbenders out there."

"So, what? You're just going to go back to your parents? Is that what you really want?"

Tara saw her jaw tighten.

"What do you care?"

The firebender began to speak before she stopped. Huh.

"I don't know." She whispered, "Aang has to learn earthbending and then firebending. He's got to save the world. And you were there. Besides, you parents didn't change their minds. You ran away."

"How do you know that?"

Tara shrugged.

"I was kind of spying on you. It's a habit of mine." Toph said nothing. "If it's the blind thing, then… I don't know. I don't see you as helpless, you know. You seem a lot more capable then many people. Your earthbending is amazing. Any normal girl your age would be jealous."

"Thanks." Toph said softly.

Suddenly, the earthbender got up and started walking away.

"Wait, where are you going!"

"Back to the group. They need me."

"Great!" Tara smiled as she stood up too.

Toph stopped suddenly.

"Are you coming?"

"Oh. Uh… no."

"But you'll be behind us, right?"

The firebender laughed slightly.

"Yup."

"You should now that I'm going to find out just exactly who you are. Just not now."

"Fair enough. I suppose one more person shouldn't hurt. I'll see you later."

Toph simply waved her hand in the air in goodbye.

_That went well. _Tara pushed thoughts of tomorrow out of her head; hoping things would stay the same. She sighed and began her ascend up the tree. The climb was harder than it normally would've been, due to her lack of energy. But soon enough, she had reached her flier.

Tara assessed the situation. If she pushed it off it could get damaged in the fall. Then again, what other choice did she have? With a hopeful sigh, the firebender shoved the structure off its branch and watched it crash to the ground. To her relief it seemed to have landed safely which, once again, begged her to question how.

After her descend back to earth, she inspected her flier more closely and found that it was, as she suspected, perfectly fine.

"Sometimes I wonder…" Tara mumbled as she threw some foliage over it to half-hide it from view.

After that, she grabbed her quiver, bow, and medical bag that she had acquired while in the North Pole. Toph finding her was surely a bad omen and she wasn't going to take any chances. The firebender jogged in the direction Toph had went but fatigue soon hit her. It seemed that the burst of adrenaline that came from her fall had disappeared and she was left to fight off sleep again.

Tara found that she just couldn't stop blinking yet she kept walking until suddenly… she was falling.

As she slowly came back to consciousness, the firebender became aware of the smell of herbs. Her eyes shot open and she sat up quickly to find Iroh silently sipping his drink with a smile.

"Tea?" he asked while holding out another cup.

Tara stared at him and surveyed the rest of his campsite. It was quite simple; a big-enough green bag was sitting on the ground near a small teapot that was over a tiny fire.

"It's ginseng." The old man continued to persuade her.

Cautiously, she grasped the cup and took a steady sip of the calming liquid. But the firebender didn't say anything. There were no words.

"These woods seemed to be filled with travelers." Iroh spoke with that wise tone of voice that he never lost, "Although, I am almost positive we have met before."

Tara looked at him, finally understanding that he knew exactly where he had seen her.

"How long have I been asleep?" she asked without meeting his eyes.

"Only a few seconds, truly. You literally fell into this clearing."

"Oh." She said softly as her cheeks flushed red.

"I was actually going to wake you anyway. You see, I have to get going soon and I wouldn't want to leave you alone."

"Well, that's very kind of you."

"I know what must be bothering you. How do you know you can trust me? I had been accompanying the man trying to capture your friends." – He laughed- "If I were you, I don't think I would trust me."

Tara swallowed.

"Well, I don't know…"

"It's perfectly fine, really." He smiled before taking a look at the sky and then back down at her, "I must be going. It was nice to see you again."

Iroh stood up and started taking care of his teapot. Tara got up and began helping him. As he took the pot off its holder she extinguished the fire with a flick of her wrist. She looked up to find him staring at her in shock. Dread built up inside her. _Now you've done it. _

"So you are from the Fire Nation. I must say, I never saw that one coming."

She suppressed a nervous laugh.

"It was really force of habit." She said referring to the fire.

The old man smiled.

"I must thank you for helping, though."

Tara glanced down and picked up the teapot holder. She handed it to Iroh and placed two light brown gloves in her hand.

"A lady's hands don't deserve to be as rough as yours."

"Well, thank you. But I really didn't do anything. You already gave me some tea."

"In truth I just want to get rid of those gloves." He smiled, "They just won't suit me."

"Where did you get them?"

"My nephew gave them to me a while back. Don't ask me where he found them because I really don't know he came into possession of them. But now, they are yours."

She stared at them for a few moments more. When she finally glanced back up, Iroh was just slinging his green bag over his shoulder.

"Where is Zuko?" she asked, not caring if she said his name. It was obvious that they were both pretending to be strangers.

"Somewhere. And that's where I must be going now."

Tara watched the old man walk away before slipping on the gloves. They felt cool on her skin and she was silently grateful for them. She knew they would feel wonderful while handling her flier.

She found her bag lying behind her and, her bow and arrows still over her shoulder, she ran after Iroh. A few minutes later she passed the old man because she had spotted the abandoned town ahead and shots of fire coming from it. The wind blew her hair behind her in a whip-like motion and soon she began to tire but her feet continued to carry her towards the obvious fight.

Suddenly, Iroh was beside her, well a bit behind, and they were both running together. Tara went towards the outside perimeter of the town, though much of it was burning down. The old man headed straight into the fight. Creating a shield of fire, she walked through an opening between two burning buildings. Sweat began to drip down her face as the heat from the closeby fires overcame her. It was a good thing this was her element.

Tara took in the fight as she got closer; creeping through a collapsing building was hard. Finally, she could see that the girl who seemed to be in charge, better known as the meanest looking one, was cornered with everybody else in a ready stance. For a second, she wondered where those other girls were but quickly brushed it off. They must've already been beaten.

"Well, look at this." The girl sighed, "Enemies and traitors working together. I'm done." – She raised her hands up in seeming defeat – "I know when I'm beaten. You got me. A princess surrenders with honor."

_Whoa. Princess? Could this possibly be… Zuko's sister? The one that he talked about in the North Pole? No wonder._

Tara waited for someone to start doing something. Shouldn't one of them… bind her hands or something? Are they going to capture her? They have to do-

Suddenly, the girl shot a flame of fire at Iroh. It happened so fast no one had time to react and it hit him square in the chest. Zuko cried out in disbelief and all five of the remaining attackers shot the girl with whatever they had. Tara almost lost her shield as her stance staggered in shock. No one ever _died_; or even got severely hurt. It couldn't happen.

When the smoke form the large attack thinned away the girl was gone, but Tara wasn't giving up. Renewing her shield, she ran through the building until she made it outside of the town. The firebender saw the girl calmly walking away from the whole thing.

As quiet as possible, Tara loaded an arrow onto her bow and aimed it at the small of her back. It looked like it was going to hit its mark before the girl turned around and swiftly burned the oncoming arrow into ash.

"You're just not going to make it easy, are you?" she asked.

"No." Tara answered with confidence she didn't have.

"Oh, well." The girl sighed before launching a few shots of blue fire.

She quickly jumped out of the way and threw a couple of flames herself. It wasn't long before they were both having a full-on fight. Tara could only see red and blue flame all around her and was mostly relying on instinct to attack and defend herself. The girl's attacks were all firm and direct while Tara's seemed to wave around.

Finally, the girl knocked her to the ground and planted her foot onto her stomach. Tara breathed heavily and gave the girl a cold stare.

"Are you afraid yet?" she asked coolly.

"How can I be afraid of someone whose name I don't even know?"

The girl brought her face close to Tara's.

"How can you not?" she lifted her head up, "And it's Azula, by the way. You know, for further notice."

"Why does it matter? You're going to kill me."

"Hmm. No. Not yet, anyway. Who knows? If all goes according to plan you could be joining us. You're a great firebender. Not as good as me, obviously. But good. And even I can't deny that."

"Oh, please. You have no idea who I am. So, for further notice, I'll tell you that I… will… never… ever… join you. You got that?"

She shrugged.

"You say that now. But you and I are not that different. I am royalty and you were probably just a peasant, true. But we are both amazing firebenders and both beautiful. Yes, I can see that. We've both got our own agendas, too, I can tell."

"I am nothing like you."

Azula merely smiled.

"If you say so."

The girl pulled her foot away as Tara sat up. All of a sudden, Azula blasted her into the closest building. She screamed out in pain as the fire scorched her upper arm and a large piece of roof fell on top of her. The last thing she saw was Azula's cruel smile before everything went black.

…

When she woke up the first thing she felt was a faint pain in her left arm. The second thing was the cool air against her face. Tara slowly opened her eyes to find herself in a small room in the dark. After a couple blinks, she could see Iroh's sleeping figure leaning under a window and Zuko's nearby. It took her a moment to realize that the prince must've pulled her from the wreckage.

Tara glanced at her wound and saw that it had been cleaned with water though nothing else was there and the tender skin was still exposed. Quietly she stood up tip-toed towards Iroh. His wound was the same and she breathed a sigh of relief to find that it was not as serious as she first thought. The wound was more near his shoulder than any vital organs.

A second look around the room gave her the insight to see her quiver, bow, and medical bag. She shook her head and held back a small laugh as she realized that Zuko hadn't even opened the bag or else he would've used the one thing she needed at the moment. Tara pulled a roll of gauze from the bag headed back to the old man. Carefully, she began wrapping the gauze from beside his neck and his stomach to his shoulder.

It was a good thing that he seemed to be a heavy sleeper or he surely would've woken up. That task complete, she spared some more to wrap her upper left arm. After that, she turned to leave but not before taking a good look at Zuko. He had saved her, a complete stranger, when he obviously didn't have to. And she was grateful for that.

But she had to get moving. Who knows how far away the gang was by now? After slinging her supplies and weaponry over her shoulder once again, she headed outside. Tara cringed as the door creaked loudly when it moved but soon she was in the fresh air. She looked towards the horizon and could just make out the shape of Appa in the sky.

Suddenly, the unmistakable creaking was heard and she turned to find Zuko staring at her. Without a word, she ran towards the woods where her flier was hidden and didn't look back, even when tears started running down her cheeks.

Zuko stared as the mysterious girl ran away into the distance, her long black hair flowing behind her. He was so close to finding out who she was but she had slipped away again.

The girl who haunted his dreams along with the other nightmares but who was strangely pleasant was gone once again. When he found her body laying still under hard mud bricks his heart had seemed to skip a beat. He was still amazed that the largest injury she had sustained was a small burn mark on her arm.

He was just _so close_. He felt like yelling or kicking something but he didn't want to wake his uncle. Zuko walked back into the small house, if you could call it that. It was more of a hut, really. Suddenly, he realized that the girl had wrapped his uncle's injury. So that's what must've been in her bag. The prince imagined her laughing at him because he hadn't used it.

He sat down onto the floor again, hoping to dream of her and not other… things. But before he closed his eyes he spotted a small white flower lying where she had been. He reached over and picked it up, rubbing a petal between his fingers in thought.

This wasn't over. He would find her. He just… just had to.

**OMG! Not one of my longest chapters but perhaps my most epic. What do you guys think? **

**I'm sorry it took so long to post. You see, school has started and I've got homework… and frankly I can get pretty lazy. I promise though, there is seriously nothing but epicness from here on. No more boring fillers from season one! AHH! I just can't wait.**

**And when season three comes along? What can I say but EPIC! It just gets more epic. I thought maybe some of you would take comfort in that I have set a personal deadline for myself. It's Valentine's Day. Yes. It is quite far off. But I was being realistic.**

**At the rate I will be writing now and how much story is left, it just might take that long. **

**But, anyway, please review this one. I love it so much. I won't be doing too much Zuko POV, just FYI. I just wanted you guys to know a little about what he's thinking because the handsome prince is a confusing, but handsome, guy. **

**So, REVIEW! I will appreciate it so very very much. Thanks for reading!**


	10. The Library

**Yay! I love this episode. But, a warning, this chapter will most likely be kind of short. But don't worry. I'll still make it epic. With great pleasure I present to you…**

The Library

Tara's flier flew through the desert sky. She wore a smile on her face, happy that her hands were no longer aching from the flier's wooden handle. She realized that her contraption was pretty old by now. With a small chuckle, the firebender remembered all the good times.

Today, the gang was heading for the Misty Palms Oasis. Tara wasn't really sure what it was, but it sure did sound refreshing. Suddenly, a town came into view and she breathed a sigh of relief, grateful for the opportunity to escape the desert heat. A moment later, the firebender spotted Appa swooping down to land.

It hadn't been too long since that fateful day; that day where Tara had stumbled upon not one, not two, but three people that she wasn't supposed to. It had only been the night before that she finally removed her bandage over her arm. The burn from Azula would stay there forever, a constant reminder of that strange day. Surprisingly, Tara didn't mind having a scar. She had never thought that they were too bad. Years from now, someone will ask how she got it and the firebender would just smile and say 'It's a great story. You were there, but you didn't know that I was.' Of course, that was assuming she ever did suck it up and stand out.

Sokka wouldn't agree with her. He was so angry when he found out what she had done. He lectured her for what felt like ten minutes, though that could've been an exaggeration. Not that Tara was listening. She didn't care. In the end, the warrior sighed and simply said 'I'm just happy you're okay.' The firebender had smiled then because Sokka had used that voice he got when he was being sincere.

Tara liked that voice.

So since that fateful day, Aang began his earthbending training with Toph, not without difficulty of course. While that was going on, Sokka got stuck in a hole in the ground which had provided some quality time between her and the warrior. What? It's not like she could've done anything.

Tara landed her flier gently next to Appa. She loved towns. She loved being able to hide in plain sight. With a broad smile broadcasted on her face, she walked into the center of town. But the grin quickly disappeared when the firebender saw the small mound of ice in the center. She walked towards it until she was staring directly down on top of the frozen water. With a disappointed sigh, she headed into one of the tiny mud-brick huts. A group of three sandbenders stood by the door. The one closest gave her a creepy smile which she responded to by giving him a 'don't even _think_ about even _talking_ to me' look. It turned out she specialized in those.

Tara entered the tiny café and took in the scene. On the left was a bald man with a sizable beard making fruity drinks while showing off his skills with swords. The rest of the room was made up of simple wooden tables and chairs. A few Earth Kingdom people sat here and there drinking the fruity beverages and reading various things. Quickly, the firebender spotted the gang, who all had their own drinks, talking to a smiling man in desert clothing. Tara couldn't tell what they were talking about but Smiling Man seemed excited. Of course, that could just be his personality.

Absentmindedly, she licked her lips and realized how thirsty she was. With fierce determination, the firebender dug through her bag for loose change. In the end, she came out with two copper coins. Wearing a triumphant grin, Tara slapped the money onto the counter and requested 'one please!'

A moment later she was slurping down a berry-flavored drink while trying to ignore the numbness in her fingers from the frozen bowl. She sat strategically catty-cornered to the gang's table and exchanged a smile with Toph.

Yeah. She and Toph were friends now. Tara couldn't bear telling her the whole truth which sure didn't make the earthbender happy but she seemed to understand. Sokka was a bit worried about everything. It was true that now half of the group knew about Tara. The statistics made things seem a little unreal. Yet Toph didn't come visit her every night like Sokka. It was nothing personal, Tara knew, just that the earthbender was the type to enjoy sleeping.

"You spent years walking through the desert to find some guy's library?" Toph asked.

"This library is more valuable than gold, little lady." Smiling Man said while making dramatic gestures, "It is said to contain a vast collection of knowledge and knowledge… is priceless."

"Mm, sounds like good times." She replied sarcastically but Smiling Man didn't seem to get it.

"Oh, it is. According to legend, it was built by the great knowledge spirit, Wan Shi Tong, with the help of his foxy knowledge seekers."

Sokka smiled slyly.

"Oh, so this spirit has attractive assistants, huh?" he said as Tara almost choked on her drink in pent-up laughter.

"I think he means they look like actual foxes, Sokka." Katara told him, obviously not thinking it was as funny.

"You're both right; handsome little creatures." Smiling Man said while pulling out a piece of parchment, "Wan Shi Tong and his knowledge seekers collected books from all over the world and put them on display for mankind to read, so that we might better ourselves."

He flattened the parchment onto the table while the gang inspected it. Tara peered over to see it too and managed to get a glimpse of it. It was a picture of a huge building with hundreds of domes and spires. What else could it be but the library that Smiling Man was talking about?

"If this place has books all over the world, do you think they have info on the Fire Nation? A map maybe?" Sokka asked in his intelligent voice.

"I wouldn't know. But if such a thing exists its in Wan Shi Tong's library."

The warrior seemed to contemplate this for a moment.

"Then its settled." He smiled, "Aang, I do believe it's my turn. I'd like to spend my vacation" – he pointed to a random direction dramatically – "at the library!"

"Uh, hey." Toph said with a hand wave, "What about me? When do I get to pick?"

Tara smiled.

"You gotta work here a little longer to qualify for vacation time."

The earthbender slammed her ice cup on the table which seemed to startle a few other people in the café. Katara and Smiling Man ignored their exchange.

"Of course, there's the matter of finding it." He continued, "I've made several trips into the Si Wong Desert and almost died each time. I'm afraid the desert's impossible to cross."

Sokka smiled knowingly.

"Professor, would you like to see our sky bison?"

_Professor, huh?_ Professor Smiles' eyes widened.

"A sky bison? You actually have one of those?"

"His name is Appa." Aang informed him with his childish grin, "I guess if we're all ready, we could go now."

The gang exchanged a serious of 'okay's and 'I'm ready's. Just like that, they were out the door leaving Tara to finish her drink with a slurp, dump the cup into a nearby trash can, and rush out of the café. She walked briskly towards the exit of the town as the sky bison took off into the desert again. It was then that the firebender realized her predicament.

Everyone aboard Appa would be looking around all corners for the humongous library; _all _corners. She'd have to stay as far back as possible so that the gang would just suspect that little dot on the horizon to be nothing more than a mirage.

Kicking sand along the way, Tara leaned against her flier and watched the sky bison grow smaller and smaller. Five minutes later, she deemed it safe to get moving and was soon soaring through the dry air. She closed her eyes to block the blowing sand and hoped that the gang wouldn't suddenly change direction on her. Once in a while, the firebender peeked to make sure but it seemed like an eternity until Appa began to descend.

Tara immediately pulled back slightly and started lowering herself down behind a particularly large dune. She wasn't so sure they were in the right place, though. All she could see was a large tower. Yet it did look achingly familiar and therefore promising. Once she landed, she grabbed her bow and arrows and threw them over her shoulder rather unceremoniously. The firebender turned away from her flier and yelped in surprise. A large gray fox with two scrolls in its mouth was staring calmly at her. Slowly, it began to walk towards her. Tara took a step backwards but bumped into her flier.

"Nice fox-thing." She coaxed nervously, "I'm not tasty. There's really not enough meat on these bones."

But the fox kept coming forward and dropped its scrolls at her feet. Then it nudged one onto her sandal-strapped toes, picked up the other one and sat down, its eyes fixed on her. _Oh, wait. What was it Professor Smiles had talked about? Foxy knowledge seekers? Huh. And it wants me to see something. _

Cautiously, Tara picked up the scroll lying on her feet and unrolled it. It was an ad for an apartment in Ba Sing Se, a nice one. She didn't know much about the capital of the Earth Kingdom, but it sounded like the Upper Ring would be the nice part of the city. It was owned by some guy named Quon.

"Why did you-"But the fox was gone and so was the other scroll.

Tara looked back at the want ad, trying to find a sign or something. With a sigh, she rolled it back up and stuffed it into her bag. She climbed up the dune and lay on her stomach to prevent from being spotted.

Professor Smiles was on his knees looking up at the tower, his trademark smile not present. He said something and then his grin was back, along with a minuscule shovel which he used to scoop tiny amounts of sand. _Oh, he is not serious. _Toph seemed to agree with the firebender.

She walked towards the tower and struck her hand to its wall, concentrating. She said something. Sokka said something. It seemed like a deep conversation. Oh, wait! Now Katara has joined in. Things were getting interesting.

When their talk seemed to be over, the warrior tied a rope to his boomerang and expertly threw it into the single window on the top of the tower. The gang minus Toph plus Professor Smiles all climbed up the rope and soon disappeared into the tower.

A moment later, Tara emerged from her hiding spot and made her way over to Toph who was hanging out with Appa.

"Hey—"

"Ahh!" Toph screamed suddenly, "Oh, It's you. Don't scare me like that. I can't see well here."

"Sorry." The firebender laughed, "Reading's not really your thing, huh?"

"Yeah. I'd rather hang out with fuzzy here."

"Sounds good to me. You're giving me someone to talk to during the day."

"Alright."

Tara sat next to the earthbender in the sand, leaning against the sky bison's furry legs. No matter how nice Toph could be, she didn't really have much in common with the firebender. She cleared her throat.

"So, what is Sokka looking for in there? Has the library shrunk or something?"

"Number one: he's trying to find some kind of Fire Nation secret. Number two: it buried in sand."

"Oh. Right."

That was kind of a stupid question. Yeah.

Tara took a small section of her hair and absentmindedly began braiding it. She stared at her work out of lack of anything else to do. The firebender racked her brain for something to get a conversation going, but her mind was empty. Yet, she so desperately wanted to get to know Toph! _Ugh! Maybe if… no. Oh! No. No, that's stupid. Hmmm. _

"Do you have anything to eat?" the earthbender asked, "The only thing I've yet today is the fruity thing."

"Uh, sure!" Tara jumped at the chance.

She got up and walked back to her flier. She grabbed her bag and made her way towards where Appa and Toph were.

"Not that there's anything wrong with fuzzy!" the earthbender was saying when she returned.

"Toph." Tara began sarcastically, "Did you offend Appa?"

"Me? I would never."

_Yes! Mutual laughter! _She thought as she sat back down.

"Okay, so I've got some bread and nuts."

"That's it?"

"That's it. Take your pick."

"I guess I'll take some nuts."

"Alright." – She scooped out a small handful and shoved them unto Toph's hand – "Enjoy."

Tara, herself, ripped a piece of bread in half and half-heartedly nibbled at it. Suddenly, her fuzzy backrest was pulled out from under her and she almost fell backwards. Appa had turned around and was shoving his face against her back. Toph and the firebender laughed.

"What do you want, Appa?" Tara cooed.

"Probably some food." The earthbender suggested.

"Is that what you want?"

The sky bison responded by further nuzzling his face to their backs.

"Okay!" the firebender laughed as she threw her unfinished bread into his mouth. It probably wasn't much for the huge animal but she didn't have _too_ much to spare.

Once he finished eating, he laid down with his head still facing the two benders.

"So, what do you think will happen when they come out of the library?" Tara asked Toph, the ice finally broken.

"Well, that depends on whether Sokka will have found some valuable secret or not."

"Yeah."

"If he does, we'll most likely come up with a plan to do something with it. If he doesn't, we'll all be disappointed but move on with our lives."

"That sounds about right."

"Yup."

"What kind of plans, though? Like would _we_ invade, do you think?"

"I don't know, Tara."

"Because if we do, we're going to need more people."

"Most likely, yeah."

"I guess we'd recruit some more earthbenders, huh? You, know since that's where we are right now."

"Hey, Tara."

"Yeah?"

"Does it really matter right now?"

"Uh… I don't know." She laughed nervously, "Sometimes when I get talking… I just keep talking."

"Yeah."

…

"No, Appa." Toph said simply, "No snuggling."

The sky bison grunted a bit but otherwise didn't do anything. Tara laughed a little, which brought a smile back to her face. But then she went back to redoing her skinny braid that she had put next to her face. She tightened the three strands one last time and then sighed.

"Here." Toph said.

Tara looked over at her. The earthbender had a sprinkle of sand on her thumb. She took the end of her braid and bended the sand into a band around it. When she was done, the firebender's hand flew to the braid.

"Cool." She smiled.

"I figured I should start working on my sandbending. I don't want to be blind here ever again."

"Agreed. I can't imagine it."

"Hmm."

Tara swallowed nervously. _Smooth._

…

"I guess I should put my bag back." The firebender observed.

"Did we eat everything?"

"Yeah." So much for not having enough food to spare, "Weird. Well, actually, I think Appa ate most of it."

"Sorry your whole food supply is gone."

"That's okay." She said as she stood up, "I'll collect more nuts when we get back to the woods."

Tara was half-way to her flier when something appeared on the horizon. She squinted and blinked. Maybe it was a mirage, but that happened when you were hungry or thirsty. She was anything but hungry. After a couple more seconds, she brushed it off and returned to her walk.

"Library sinking!" Toph's voice yelled.

"What?" Tara said in disbelief as she spun 180 degrees.

Her eyes widened. The earthbender was struggling to hold the tower up. Without thinking, Tara ran towards Toph. A moment later, she was standing next to her desperately thinking of some way to help.

"Maybe I should go in and get them out." She stated.

"Mm-m." the earthbender said in disagreement.

"You're right. They're probably aware. Heck, they probably are the cause of it somehow."

"Appa." Toph stated through clenched teeth.

Tara looked over at the sky bison who seemed to be having a panic attack. He was watching the tower nervously while shifting from foot to foot.

"Right."

The firebender rushed over to Appa and began consoling him. She petted the fur on the side of his face and told him things like 'It'll be okay, Appa' and 'Aang and the other guys will be out soon'. Yet, she wasn't sure she believed what she was saying.

Then, all of a sudden, everything was sandy. Unfortunately, her mouth had been open, so she 'bleched' until the sand was gone. But it was still swirling all around her. What the hack had just happened?

"What is it now?" Toph's voice entered in the yellow and brown haze.

A moment later, there was a second wave of sand and Tara struggled to get away.

"Who's there?" she heard the earthbender yell.

More sand hit her and her body was suddenly hitting Appa's side. Tara gasped. The wall of swirling sand fell to reveal a group of sandbenders and some of their gliders. Before she had time to react, a couple of them threw ropes with sandbags on the ends over the sky bison. She managed to move to the left to avoid bring hit by one until a sandbag from the other side smacked her on the head.

Tara fell to the ground with a moan. The combination of a grainy feeling in her lungs from the sand storm combined with a growing head pain weakened her immensely. Still though, she stood up and, not wanting to reveal her heritage, pulled an arrow from her quiver. The firebender blinked as she tried to aim but pain made it difficult to focus. Eventually she fired one but was pretty sure she missed.

"Don't make me put this down!" Toph threatened.

A second later, she saw a shockwave of sand fly behind the sandbenders. Well, that was quite helpful. Tara decided to give up on the arrows and risk firebending. She sent a shot of flame towards one of her attackers and he shrieked in surprise, but the assault didn't look like it didn't any harm. The firebender fired a few more shots, but these times the sandbenders were prepared and jumped out of the wave.

She was vaguely aware of Appa's grunts and groans coming from behind her. Things were getting bad. Actually, scratch that. It was bad from the beginning. Now, things were much worse.

"No, stop sinking." Tara heard the earthbender say.

Suddenly, a second smack on the head brought her back to the ground and this time she couldn't find the strength to get up. The firebender lifted up her to meet a sandbender's eyes.

"What's a Fire Nation girl doing out here?" he taunted, but it was the last thing she heard before it all went dark.

"We got it." Sokka said excitedly to Katara, "There's a solar eclipse coming. The Fire Nation's in trouble now!"

He let go of his sister's shoulders and glanced at Aang's worried face. Then he noticed Toph's small figure crouched down on the sand, her hands on the side of head.

"Where's Appa?" the airbender asked.

Toph shook her head sadly. The warrior looked around in search of the sky bison, but to no avail. When he looked back at Aang he found tears in his eyes. What had happened? Was Appa… kidnapped? Then another thought hit Sokka.

What about Tara? He wanted to think that she was after the sky bison, armed with a bow and arrow in addition to her firebending skills, and Appa would come back to them in a few minutes. But something told him otherwise.

Aang was walking around in small circles with his hands on his head. Katara was looking off into the distance, probably refusing to give up on the search for Appa. Toph was still sitting on the ground in the same position as earlier. Sokka walked over and sat next to her.

"What happened with Tara?" he whispered, grateful for the noise the desert wind brought.

The earthbender shook her head again. The warrior looked away.

"So, she's gone too?"

Toph lifted her head up and eerily set her cloudy eyes upon him, but said nothing. Sokka stood up and trudged over to the only dune not already taken. Suddenly, his foot hit something and he immediately reached down to pick up the object.

It was an arrow, a familiar one too. That's when it really hit him. Tara was always super careful about her arrows, never lost one except at the North Pole. The warrior looked over the dune to see her flier resting on the sand. Her quiver, bow, and bag were missing, no doubt taken by the sandbenders. Although, the flier might've taken a nice price on the black market too. Whatever the reason, all of her supplies were gone. Which also meant the only hope of food in the desert.

But that didn't really matter, anyway. Appa was gone. More importantly, but don't tell Aang he thought this, Tara was gone. All of a sudden, Sokka realized how much she meant to him. He realized how much he had brushed her off these last couple of months, no, these last couple of years. Even before they had met Aang.

He was surprised to find a tear rolling down his cheek. He hadn't cried since his dad had left. Embarrassed, the warrior wiped it away. He would find her. Aang would never stop looking for Appa. Tara would never leave Appa. Sokka would never give up.

And when he found Tara again he would say everything he should've said before.

**AHH! Whoa. I have been anticipating this for a long time. Did you guys like it! I hope it lived up to the dream in my head. Please review! **

**How was Sokka's POV? Did it sound like him? I'm just so worried about doing canon characters' POVs. It's just a bit new to me. **

**So **_**please**_**, tell me what you think and it will make me super happy! I will write faster! I do believe this chapter is up less than a week after the last one. That's pretty good for my last couple chapters. Seriously. If you've been following this story for a while you would know.**

**Anyway. Tara's kidnapping was also a nifty way to skip a bunch of episodes. But that wasn't the only reason. Many important things happen because of this event. Also, the next chapter is also going to be extremely long. I'm not even kidding a little bit. So much story happens it's ridiculous. Depending on how long it is when I'm finished, I may split it into two parts. Maybe.**

**Okay, I've been babbling on for a while. Please, review. Thank you for reading. Come again. This has been Purple909. **

**In conclusion, croissants. **


	11. Appa's Lost Days Part 1

**Thus begins the super long epic events of…**

Appa's Lost Days Part 1

Tara woke to a snap in the face. She instantly sat up, remembering her current situation and then realizing how it had worsened. Her head throbbed from the hit that had knocked her out in the first place. Plus, her arms were bound to her sides and her hands were also tied together. The firebender's gloves were still on but felt strangely different.

She looked up to see a sandbender, his mask was now gone. Two strands of brunette hair fell against the sides of his face and she realized that he was about her age. But his light brown eyes were stern with the rough times that he had lived through.

"As I was saying earlier," he smiled, "what is a Fire Nation girl like you doing in a desert in the Earth Kingdom?"

She narrowed her eyes and looked away. Tara began to observe her surroundings and saw that she was in a white tent. It was a reasonable size with a few wooden chairs, two tables, and three cages with exotic animals.

"Not going to speak easily, huh?" the sandbender continued, "Then let's start with slightly simpler stuff. My name is Gashiun, and yours is?"

Tara looked him in the eye and smiled.

"I'm not going to tell you anything." She whispered.

"Well, you don't really have a choice, do you? You see it's either answer my questions or get thrown into the desert rope-bound."

"You are just so confident, aren't you?"

"You shouldn't be talking, little missy. What's your plan, huh? You going to firebend your way out? Because I replaced those pretty gloves of yours with new ones; ones laced with metal that you most definitely can't firebend through."

_Oh. Well, yes actually, that was basically the whole plan._

"No."

Gashiun smiled.

"Yeah, sure it wasn't. Now tell me again, what's your name?"

She bit her lip.

"Tara." She said softly.

"Tara. What a lovely name. And how'd you get in the desert?"

"I walked there."

"You walked there? We found you almost in the center of the desert with no food or water."

"I had just finished my supply."

"Right. So why didn't you just fly? You had the sky bison."

"He belongs to a friend of mine."

"Must be a selfish friend to make you walk."

"Why do you care? Why does it matter to you?"

"It doesn't."

Tara looked at him in confusion.

"It matters to me." A man said as he emerged from the outside.

And somehow, she was still confused. The man was between twenty and twenty-five. His hair was black, which immediately sent a jolt through her. Dark brown eyes stared down as if he was inspecting her.

"Oh! Excuse my manners, miss." He laughed as he walked forward a few steps, "My name is Toreda. I work for a man called Moyasu. He owns a rather famous circus in the Fire Nation, perhaps you have heard of it?"

"No. I haven't lived there since I was seven."

"Oh, too bad. Well, it is renowned for its many rare attractions from all over the world. After all, it is called The Ekizochikku Circus. I am the official trader. It's a nice job. I travel around the world collecting pretty things that can do amazing feats."

"Uh huh." She nodded.

"You, Tara, are both."

The firebender turned to look at Gashiun.

"You kidnapped me so you could force me to take a job?"

The two guys laughed.

"You wouldn't be getting paid." Toreda responded.

Tara stopped for a moment and had to contemplate the last sentence.

"Wait. Is this… slavery?"

"Bingo."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa; that must be illegal."

"You'd be surprised what people can get away with."

"So it is illegal."

"In the Earth Kingdom."

"Slavery is legal in the Fire Nation?"

"A lot of things are legal in the Fire Nation _colonies_."

"So that's what it is then, Gashiun, you're going to sell your kidnapped victim into slavery. There must be more to you than that. I mean, how old are you, anyway?"

"I don't think that really matters." The sandbender replied.

"And you remember, Gashiun, that our deal is not even a deal yet." Toreda reminded, "I'm not sure I could handle Miss Tara's fiery personality."

"What? Isn't that what you want? Fiery; isn't that what the Fire Nation is all about? Come on, she's beautiful, right?"

"You know I appreciate that compliment," Tara said, "but if you're going to argue about my future could you do it a bit quieter? Gashiun did whack me on the head earlier today."

"Actually, that was yesterday."

"Well, that's really not helping."

Toreda burst out laughing. His cheeks tinged red in his fit of cackling noise, reminding her of a hyena-bear. It was nothing less than creepy.

"You know, sandbender, I think you're right." He said still with a hint of laughter, "The circus could use her outgoing character."

Gashiun nodded as he smiled victoriously. She had sealed her own fate. Tara's mind started racing. They didn't do anything with her feet. It would be hard to do with her hands tied, but maybe she could just manage to firebend her way out. Except…

"Where is the sky bison going?" she asked.

"Sky bison?" Toreda repeated, "Why didn't I hear about this?"

"The beast is being sold to the Beetle-head Merchants. You know they would offer us more money than you."

_No! Appa has to go where I am!_

"I have been your loyal customer for some time. I would expect you to give me the first pick."

"The Beetle-head merchants have been coming to me for a much longer time than you."

"What are they paying? I can offer more."

"The deal's done, Toreda! Unlike you, they don't waste time on meaningless inspections."

The trader seemed to fume in anger for a moment but soon settled down.

"How much is the girl?" he asked, halfheartedly.

"A thousand gold pieces."

"That's it?" Tara whispered.

"That's a lot, little missy." Toreda hissed as he slapped a pouch of coins into Gashiun's hands.

Yeah, well, for some reason she just figured slaves were worth a bit more. The sandbender smiled greedily.

"I guess this is goodbye, Tara. It was nice kidnapping you."

She gave him a smug smile before he walked out of the tent. Toreda sighed and went over to look at his other finds. Tara bit her lip, fighting back tight tears. This wasn't happening. A moment later, the sound of swirling sand echoed from outside, signaling the departure of the sandbenders. The firebender flopped back onto her back and instantly regretted it as the throbbing in her heads grew louder.

Yet it wasn't long before a man clad in beige clothing with a green robe and a bushy beard rushed inside. On top of his brown hair was a beetle-shaped hat and it wasn't hard to guess that this guy was one of the Beetle-Headed Merchants. He seemed to be freaking out.

"Toreda, you like wild animals, right?" he exclaimed.

"Yes." The trader responded cautiously as he looked up from his wares.

"How would you like to get a real live sky bison?"

"Depends on why you want to get rid of him."

"Well, uh, he is quite large, you know. Uh, much too big for us to take anywhere."

"Don't you have that desert raft?"

"Ours is broken at the moment." The man replied way too fast.

Toreda raised one of his eyebrows and calmly walked over to the tent's entrance. After he finished peeking outside he turned back.

"No. It looks to be in well condition."

"But, that bison! He's a prize, right?"

"He did look well kept."

"Yes."

"Oh, I don't know."

"I'll pay you to take it! How much do you want?"

"What other things do you have?"

The man stopped for a moment.

"I'll be right back."

He rushed outside and, only thirty seconds later it seemed, was back carrying a large green knapsack. Toreda took it and browsed through its contents absentmindedly. Tara peeked inside and nearly gasped. It was her bow, arrows, and medical bag and the gang's various items including Sokka's club. It broke her heart to the warrior's weapon there, at least his beloved boomerang was still secured to his back.

"It doesn't seem like much." Toreda sighed.

The man dug through his pockets and pulled out a handful of gold coins.

"Here, eighteen gold pieces. I-I won't give you anymore. Normally, you'd be the one paying me."

The trader smiled triumphantly.

"It's a deal."

Toreda took the coins and threw them into the bag. After that, he and the man walked out, no doubt to transport Appa to one of his containers.

Yet, Tara couldn't help but feel relieved. Now everything would be where she could watch them. She could watch over Appa and even their stuff because she refused to accept that she would be in captivity forever.

When Toreda returned, he led her outside. The firebender noticed how dirty her hair was, all filled with grains of sand. You probably couldn't take out her flower if you tried, it was stuck in there with so much sand. Appa seemed to be asleep inside a cage and was already loaded onto the caravan. The trader sat her on a chair next to his cage and retied her hands around it. Then, the other people working on the caravan placed the other cargo around her.

Tara's heart broke further seeing all the scared animals locked up. At least Toreda had the decency to just bind her hands together. Before long, the wagon had begun moving and the day seemed to crawl by. After a while, her stomach was growling and her mouth was parched. She closed her eyes and managed to drift off to sleep.

She warily awoke to sounds of commotion. Tara opened her eyes to see busy circus grounds all lit up. Many tents surrounded them as they passed through. Performers danced around practicing their routines and other weird animals stood here and there. The caravan stopped first at the second biggest tent. Circus workers grabbed the animal cages and brought them inside. They took Appa, who was still sleeping, last. A large group had to hoist him indoors.

Finally, Tara was alone sitting on her chair. They went to a smaller tent and then Toreda came and untied her completely.

"Don't even try to escape now, missy." He warned, "I'm afraid you're surrounded."

The firebender stood up and was directed to go into the tent. When she came in, she was confronted by a group of girls either a bit older or younger than herself. They all looked Earth Kingdom and watched her cross the room to the only empty bed silently. Tara cleared her throat and was about to speak when someone else did before her.

"I am Burijji." She said airily. "I see that you're Fire Nation."

The girl sat on the bed next to hers. She had dark brunette hair that was pulled back into an intricate braid that was new to Tara. Her silvery green eyes bore into the firebender as they stared.

"Uh, yeah." She spoke warily, "I'm Tara."

Burijji nodded.

"Suitoru wants me to show you around." She continued, "And to clean you up."

The firebender's hands flew to her hair, felt the grainy texture, and let them fall again.

"Who's Suitoru?"

"He's the animal trainer."

"Oh, okay. So where do I get cleaned up?"

"Follow me."

With that, Burijji stood up and walked to a smaller flap in the tent that Tara hadn't even noticed. She got up quickly and fast-walked after the strange girl. She came in to see Burijji filling up a large wooden tub from a water spout. Then she The tented area was about the size of a small room. There wasn't much in it except a stack of beige towels and a tin full of bars of soap.

Burijji turned around and handed the bucket to Tara.

"Uh…"

"You dump it over yourself." She instructed before eyeing her over and shrugged, "I'd say numerous times. The soap is in the tin."

"Okay. And my hair?"

"The soap is in the tin."

"Right."

"I suggest tying the flap closed. It is a tent."

"Okay. Thanks."

The girl nodded and left. Tara sighed and double-tied the opening. She undressed down to her underwear and undershirt and climbed into the tub. The cold water chilled her to the bone but numbed her decreasing headache. She sighed again, though this time it was in utter bliss.

But it didn't last long. Tara combed her fingers through her hair in an attempt to get as much sand out as possible. Suddenly, she found a tiny braid near her face. She bit her lip, remembering.

"_I figured I should start working on my sandbending. I don't want to be blind here ever again."_

The firebender pulled out the small rock band and twiddled it between her fingers. She reached over the edge of the tub and slipped the band into a pocket. Then she grabbed the bucket and, as she was told, dumped it over her head. The new rush of cold water made her gasp and then exhale deeply.

Tara sunk into the tub. The new feeling of clean brought a bout of hope to her mind. And to think she hadn't even used any soap yet. She grabbed the already small bar of soap from its tin and began rubbing against her dry skin. After that was done she held the slightly tinier bar with both hands and stared.

Was she supposed to use that on her _hair_? _Really_? But there was a ton a sand stuck in her straight locks and it needed out. With a guilty heart she placed the car of soap in her hand and grabbed a clump of her hair. She repeated this a few times until her head was a mess of bubbling strands. Afterwards, Tara scrubbed it a bit before dunking her head completely.

A couple minutes of rinsing later, she stepped out of the tub and wrapped herself with the towel. Then the firebender lazily dried herself off and put her clothes back on. As the bubbles cleared away in the tub, she looked at her reflection in the water. Using her fingers, she combed the knots out of her newly cleansed hair.

Finally, she emerged from the bath area into the place where the rest of the girls were. Burijji was waiting for her on her bed, laying flat on her back and staring straight at the ceiling. In truth, it was probably one of the creepiest things Tara had ever seen.

"Where's everybody else?" she asked, noticing the other girls were gone.

"They're practicing the new routine." She answered without looking away.

Apparently the roof of the tent was fascinating.

"Come on." Burijji continued as she stood up and began walking for the exit.

Tara followed nervously. They walked along the circus grounds to a descent-sized tent across the property. Once they came in, she thought of a few things all at one. _One: Hey! There are the other girls! Two: What are they _wearing_? Three: Will I have to wear that?_

The girls wore dark red tank tops and short-shorts. On their wrists and ankles were frilly accessories colored orange, red, and yellow to look like fire. Didn't they ever get tired of that fire cliché? What if Tara felt like wearing purple one day? Is that, like, against the law or something? But anyway, the girls had long flowing ribbons of all different kinds of fiery colors and were dancing around with them.

And they looked pretty good, she had to admit. Their moves were all coordinated. Two girls held the lead with more advanced tricks and were definitely showing them off just a little bit. Tara was so focused on their rehearsal that she didn't notice when a man walked up to her until it was too late.

"Hello, there."

"Ah!" she shrieked in surprise.

The man's face was covered in stern wrinkles and thin gray mustache accompanied by a tiny beard. He wore an impressive purple hat with a gold template and red trim. His clothing was, naturally, mostly red with gold on the inside of the pant legs, collar, wrists, and forearms. He also had a purple ribbon belt that went well with the hat. Plus, just to make him look even more 'awesome', a short red cape trailed behind him.

Capes; the must accessory of the season for all circus people.

He gave her a disappointed look, though, and seemed to wait for her to say something.

"Oh." she said, "Uh, sorry. I'm Tara."

"Yes. I know." He responded, his expression not changing.

"Okay-"

"What can you do?"

"Uh, I'm good with a bow and arrow?"

"Is that a question or a statement?"

"A statement? I mean, a statement."

"We might be able to work with that. But you are actually Fire Nation, aren't you?"

"Yeah."

"Perhaps you can firebend. Am I right?"

"Mmm… yes."

He smiled deviously.

"We can definitely work with that. Are you good?"

She thought about that for a second. It's not like she had any real training. Tara had taught herself on her father's ship but mostly later on by watching Katara's waterbending. Maybe that was why her technique was so strange to Azula. Then again, she did lose to the princess. But she had _blue_ fire and was crazy good.

"I guess so, yeah."

The man began to work slowly around her. At first Tara started turning too, but then the vibe that he was really assessing her. It was creepy, no lie.

"Um, can I know your name?"

"I am Moyasu." He replied as he faced her again.

So this is the owner of the circus that Toreda mentioned. Wonderful. Moyasu stepped back a bit and kept staring at her.

"I got it. You, Tara, are our new head of the dancers: the beautiful Fire Lily!"

She could hear some of the girls gasping and grumbling something like 'But she just got here!', 'It's because she's Fire Nation.' and 'I've been here longer than _her_.' Well this was great. Now her new companions all hated her. Maybe Burijji will still talk to her. Of course, the other girls never spoke a word to her anyway and Burijji sort of creeped her out. But Tara didn't plan to stay here long anyway.

"When Moyasu walks away without yelling or saying otherwise you're supposed to follow him." Burijji airy voice broke into her unfocused state.

"Huh?" she asked.

"Go." Her blank eyes motioned towards the doorway where a red cape had just disappeared.

Tara dashed after Moyasu who appeared to be heading for a tiny tent nearby. Inside were a bunch of racks full of costumes, both strange and strangely pretty. Tara stood at the entrance in awe while he browsed through the selection. She snapped out of it a moment later as Moyasu walked towards her with a hanger holding a set of the red outfits the other dancers were wearing and also one with a long light green linen shawl. The firebender cracked a smile then because the shawl was one of the strangely pretty things.

"Put these on," He instructed, "No wait… and this."

He handed her a long pinkish ribbon embroidered with red flowers and green leaves.

"Okay."

"I'll be right back." Moyasu fast-walked outside.

Huh. Tara quickly switched her clothing to the costume. She found a standing mirror and admired herself in it. She truly looked beautiful. That guy knew how to pick the best clothing. The shawl ran down to her ankles and the top or it went a little away from her elbow. You could see a tiny bit of the red tank top underneath. The ribbon tied nicely high on her waist. Then, her red short-shorts appeared a little along with the inside of her skinny, toned legs. The get-up even went great with her brown strappy sandals.

The firebender brushed her hair behind her shoulders and smiled. As a test, she began to do some simple but more elaborate firebending. The streams of wispy fire trailed all around her as she spun this way and that, under a leg, a circular motion and then, gone. Suddenly, the crisp sound of clapping interrupted the silence inside the tent. Tara turned to see Moyasu smiling smugly, his arms crossed, but next to him was a young woman with a broad grin plastered on her face.

The woman was very pretty with curly black hair that fell just below her shoulders. She had a heart-shaped face and brilliant amber eyes, not un-like her own. But it was her thick eyelashes that made her look so beautiful. Well, that and her radiating personality. The woman's outfit consisted of layer upon layer of different shades of red and orange tops. It went from ruby red long-sleeves to orangey orange quarter-sleeves to a sunset orange camisole. Her bottom was a mini-skirt and leggings that was ruby red to match her long-sleeved tee. Her feet were bare except for a tiny golden toe-ring on her left foot that went along with the studs in her ears and band around her neck.

"Oh, that was wonderful!" the woman cried as she ran towards her before embracing her in a giant hug.

"Yes." Moyasu murmured, "Yes, it was."

The woman let go of a very surprised Tara.

"And you are?" she asked with a nervous laugh.

"Oh, right, sorry!" she giggled back, "I'm Alainn."

"She is our hair stylist." Moyasu commented, "I leave you in her care until tonight."

"Uh, okay." Tara replied even though she didn't really think it mattered.

Once he left, Alainn squealed in delight.

"We're going to have so much fun, Tara. Just you wait! Oh, but you don't have to!" she ran a hand through the firebender's hair, "We should get started right away! You know you could've caught your pretty hair on fire with those cool tricks. And you've got such pretty hair."

"Actually, I always have it down and it's never-," Tara started objecting but cut it off as Alainn was dragging her to an area of the tent devoted to hairstyling.

"Sit." She instructed happily before picking up a wooden brush.

The firebender obliged and Alainn began to gently brush her long hair. She hummed a peppy tune while she worked and it started to tick Tara off just a bit.

"So I appreciate you going to all this trouble for a rehearsal." She began but she just laughed.

"But you _are _performing tonight."

"What? I just got here today. Plus, I don't even know what I'm supposed to do."

"Nobody new does. Moyasu doesn't care. He knows that he's got to have the best and most unique every night. We have new animals and performers coming in every other day."

"Oh. So, will I be told what to do after you're finished with my hair?"

"Probably. But this will take a while. Your long hair will make the process longer."

"Oh, sorry."

"Don't be sorry! No, I love it! It gives me so much freedom. I hate having my creativity restricted by short hair."

"Your hair's not too long."

"But it's not too short though. It's perfect!"

"Right."

"Not to say that I'm perfect. People assume that I think that because I'm a pretty hairstylist and I don't wear shoes and they say that I act too happy."

"Oh, no. I don't think that at all."

"Well, I appreciate that, Tara. You know I think I like you. You don't seem so judgmental. Of course, none of the girls are when they're brand new. They're just shy then but then soon they turn all snotty. But you're not acting shy so I like you already."

"Yeah, they do seem pretty snotty… except for Burijji."

"Burijji? Oh yeah, but she's just different. That's just the way she is."

"Hmm. Is she a performer? I didn't see her rehearsing."

"Burijji performing? Ha! They tried that at first but her talents obviously don't lie in that area."

"Then what does she do?"

"Well, she is our resident fortuneteller."

"Really?"

"Yeah, and she's pretty good at it too."

"So she's an actress."  
"No. No, she's the real deal."

"Seriously."  
"I'm serious, Tara. One time I lost my lucky toe ring and I was, like, frantic searching for it. After two whole days I went to Burijji and asked where I would find it. She said 'In the hands of a traveler'. The next day, Toreda gave it to me. He told me he found it by the entrance to the circus. Can you imagine that?"

"That is pretty cool. But it could be coincidental."

"No way. There is no such thing as coincidences. Everything is meant to happen and is a part of the master plan of the spirits."

"You believe in the spirits?"

"Yeah. I know many Fire Nation homeland people don't believe anymore, but when you're surrounded by the hopeful Earth Kingdom-ers you can't help but believe. And, I mean, it makes sense, you know?"

"Well, yeah, I know they are real. Someone's got to be watching over us. And, of course, the Avatar will save us."

"I guess so."

"You don't think he will?"

"Well, I don't really care who even wins this war. It doesn't really matter to me."

"Really?"

"If Firelord Ozai wins I'll stay where I am and live a happy life. Maybe I'll find a nice guy to marry and everything will be great. And if we lose the Earth Kingdom will take these colonies back. I can't imagine them punishing us or anything. They're much too civil for that. I'll live the same life just on different owner's land."

"I guess you could think of it that way. But don't you think that all the suffering our country is causing is terrible."

Alainn only shrugged.

"I mean-"

"Finished!" she yelled happily before dragging the chair in 180 degrees, "Ta da!"

"Oh." Tara sighed in happy surprise.

Her black hair was pulled back in one long braid. But the braid also extended on the back of her head.

"What's this style called?" she asked softly.

"It's a French Braid."

"French? What does that mean?"  
"I don't know. It's just the name. But it looks just gorgeous with this outfit _and _the shape of your face."

"I love it. Thanks, Alainn."

"No problem. Just doing my job. But it needs something else. What's your stage name again? Oh, the Fire Lily!"

Alainn rushed away and disappeared into the small maze of costume racks. A moment later she emerged with a trio of brilliant red flowers.

"They're _real_ fire lilies!" She exclaimed happily.

She took one and placed it behind Tara's ear. Tara almost laughed at the style which she used herself so often. Next, Alainn plucked petal after petal from another flower and stuck them in the twists of the long braid.

"Oh, it looks even better!" She said and clapped her hands together.

"Yeah, it does." Tara commented softly.

"Great!" Alainn sighed dramatically, "Now we've still got lots to do. Our choreographer probably has your routine figured out by now. I've got to get you back to the rehearsal tent."

The rest of the day was spent perfecting Tara's performance with the other girls. After a while, she got the group show down pat. Then, while Alainn did the other dancers' hair, the choreographer worked with Tara's solo performance. His name was Dansu and, compared to the other circus dudes she had met, he wasn't half-bad.

He was tall and skinny with shaggy black hair that brushed against the top of his ears. He seemed about the same age as Alainn and had a tiny goatee going on. Dansu's coffee brown eyes twinkled when they did something right and darkened each time they missed a step. A dusty red vest adorned his super toned abs, which were kind of ridiculously awesome. His bottoms were simple maroon pants and he also wore no shoes. Psh, Circus people.

He got a bit upset every time she messed up but it was probably just his way of thinking. You know, choreographers. Yet again, Dansu was the first choreographer she had met. But in any case, Tara could deal with his attitude. Plus he made sure they got fed, which was good. The firebender was starving by that time.

Soon enough, the sky was darkening and people began to arrive for the big performance of the night. Even though Tara was forced to perform, she couldn't help feeling a bit jittery. When Dansu had dismissed them, Alainn had brought Tara straight to the huge center tent. It actually had a slightly smaller tent on the inside, which made a narrow hallway along the perimeter for the performers to wait and prepare in.

Alainn was talking to the other girls when Burijji walked inside their area of the hallway. Her outfit was, sadly, one of the strange ones. It was a classic creepy-gypsy-fortune-telling costume, purple around the torso and long flowing skirt, white band along the waist and puffy sleeves. Tara couldn't help but feel bad. Burijji's light brown hair was pulled into two ponytails that were in front of her shoulders.

"Poor girl." Alainn said quietly to Tara, "I keep saying that that outfit just doesn't work for her but Moyasu insists on it. I just don't understand why she stays."

For a moment Tara nodded but then abruptly stopped when the last sentence the hairdresser had said soaked in.

"Burijji's not forced to stay here?"

"Well, for now she is. But when people tried to give her tips she secretly took them for a while, even though she's actually not allowed to. She's got a whole stash of money somewhere that could get her out easily."

"But-"

"Well, I asked her once why she stays and she just said 'I need to wait. I cannot leave yet.'"

"That's weird."

"I know, right? I told her to, like, elaborate and she said 'I'm waiting for someone. They told me I must wait.' Then she just walked away."

"Who's 'they'?"

"That's what I'd like to know but every time I try to ask she walks away again. Sometimes I just don't know about her."

"No kidding."

"Of course, I have a theory."

Tara laughed.

"Do you, now?"

"Yes. The spirits are telling her to wait, just like they give her visions. Burijji is their prophetess, don't you see? I mean it makes sense."

The firebender was dumbfounded. It _did _make sense.

"But who is she waiting for?"

"Beats me. My guess is as good as yours."

Tara nodded slowly as a parade of animals entered the tent. She gasped when she spotted Appa among the crowd. He had on a more ridiculous costume than Burijji. It was a two-layered red with gold trim coat extending over his forehead and a strange headdress of tan and purple. The poor sky bison even had weird makeup around his eyes, mouth and cheeks.

Without thinking, Tara ran towards him but Burijji pulled her back.

"Not yet." She whispered while staring her in the eye.

"Wha-"

"Girls, girls, over here!" Moyasu's demanding voice called.

Burijji pushed her towards him with the other dancers. In sort of a nervous shocked trance, Tara followed the crowd heading for the ringmaster.

"Alright, you are our opening act, got that?" Moyasu instructed, "The audience is absolutely thrilled for the Fire Lily."

_Ha ha. Not exactly helping. _After a rather riveting pep talk, Moyasu walked out to the center of the tent to begin the performance. The dancers, along with Tara, shifted from one foot to the other nervously awaiting their cue.

"Ladies and gentlemen of all ages," he yelled out to the audience, "we welcome you tonight to our humble circus! The show tonight will be nothing short of amazing… astounding… and grand! With great pleasure I present to you…" – the waiting caused the audience to hold their breath while Tara rolled her eyes impatiently- "the beautiful Fire Lily and her graceful companions!"

The other dancers grumbled at their short mention but all of them rushed out on cue, already beginning their routine to dramatic music played by a small band off to the side. Tara sighed awaiting her moment of entrance. As the moment came closer she began to weave a skinny thread of fire between her hands that steadily grew longer.

Then she leaped onto the stage, twirling and dancing in all her might. The thread of fire wove around her like a regular dancer with a ribbon. Soon, Tara forgot the audience and was simply focusing on remembering her next move.

The second part of the routine came then. She dissolved the fire thread in one dramatic wave of her hands. They stood there for a moment to, yet again, let anticipation well up inside the audience. But then, Tara shot one powerful, but short ranged, blast over the crowd. They oohed and awed before the firebender went back into focus. The dancing was different this time; a series of creatively placed blasts controlled the routine.  
And it went on like that for while before ending with one swift _whoosh_ that sent all the candles and lanterns lighting the tent out. The crowd cheered enthusiastically. Tara breathed heavily as she left the main ring, glad that she got to get her part of the show over with so quickly.

The firebender searched for Burijji among the throng of people crowding up the narrow hallway. She had to find out what she meant right before the show began. But eventually she saw that it was Burijji who was performing at the moment. Tara sat and watched from a distance.

Burijji really might be a physic. Every volunteer who came up seemed to be amazed at what she had foreseen. It was nothing interesting; you will marry this guy, you will have this many kids. Her proclamations were nothing special but some audience members got so emotional that they started crying. Go figure.

When Burijji's show was over and she began walking back, Tara prepared to confront her but it was then that she heard some intriguing words.

"Ladies and gentlemen, now for something truly special." Moyasu's voice rang out, "A noble beast so magnificent and rare, it hasn't been seen by human eyes in generations. I give you the Wind Buffalo!"

_Wind buffalo? _It was enough to put poor Appa in that ridiculous costume but now they call him a different species? How hard is it to say sky bison? At that moment, Appa reluctantly shuffles into the center ring. Tara watched in dismay as another man, probably the animal trainer, approached him.

"Up!" the trainer commanded.

But Appa simply shook his head in defiance and turned away.

"Up, you insolent cow!" the man yelled in anger as he cracked his fire whip.

"Uh, uh." Tara mumbled, narrowing her eyes.

She took a single step forward but someone's hand grasped the firebender's arm. Tara didn't look at the person holding her back because she knew it was Burijji. The girl's cold skin and silent way was already recognizable.

Tara didn't need to step in, though, Appa roared in determination. A young boy in the audience stood up suddenly.

"Run away!" he screamed hopefully and Tara wondered if this boy had met the sky bison before, "Get away from him!"

But a large man, most likely his father, pulls him back down to his seat. And even then, after a few more threatening lashes with a fire whip, Appa ascends into the air sending the crowd into another round of cheering. It seemed only Tara and the boy felt dread at this sight.

The sky bison flew around doing a few acrobatic flips. But when he went through the second flaming hoop, the back of his costume caught on fire. This seemed to be the last straw to Appa, who whacked the third hoop off its hook and sent it soaring into the trainer's head.

Tara smiled immediately while the audience laughed. Her eyes locked on the boy who had stood up earlier. His laughing pose was eerily close to the way Aang always laughed. Suddenly, something clicked. Tara eyed Appa flying in the same spot, staring straight at the boy.

The sky bison must see some essence of Aang in the boy! Of course, that was obvious now. Duh. Appa must miss his best friend terribly.

"Go." The boy urged, "You can do it."

Appa nervously rose higher in the air before a large blast of fire diverted his path.

"Get back here, you stupid beast!" the circus trainer screamed furiously as he cracked his fiery whip.

But, yet again, Appa slapped his tail at the man, which sent him flying through the air, through the tent ceiling, and landing who-knows-where. Tara could only watch him go. When she turned back, the sky bison was gone, leaving a large hole in the ceiling which most of his costume hung off of.

"After the buffalo!" Moyasu cried.

Tara felt Burijji's grasp loosen and then disappear, and she took it as a sign.

The firebender ran into the open and launched a series of fire blasts. The crowd stopped carrying on for a second to watch the strange scene.

"What are you doing?" Moyasu yelled while fighting back, "No one has ever escaped and neither will you!"

"Have you ever tried caging up a firebender?" Tara replied with a confident smirk.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the boy smiling triumphantly at her while his father looked on disapprovingly. The duel continued for a few moments more, but Tara knew her time was limited. Especially in the dark, it would be hard to spot Appa from too far away.

A kick there, a jab here, three fire blasts, and two slashes of a fiery thread; Moyasu became increasingly tired and angry as the fight went on. Eventually he paused for a moment too long and Tara kicked him square in the gut. The ringmaster's back made contact with the ground and he skidded against its surface.

Tara stood there breathing heavily before turning to face the crowd who were watching in shock. _I guess the whole circus people fighting back thing isn't so funny anymore. _She swallowed nervously but soon sucked it up.

"Anybody have any rope?" Tara addressed them hopefully, "Or something?"

The various audience members looked at each other confusedly.

"I do." The boy yelled out as he stood up cautiously.

"No you don't." his father grumbled, pulling him back down.

"Yes, he is." Tara said pointedly, "I am very tired. I am very stressed out. I am very hungry. I am very… not in the mood for any of this. I've got a get a move on and I'm sorry if I offend you."

The man looked at her with a blank stare.

"You're not going to answer me. Okay, whatever." She mumbled as she grabbed the boy's hand and yanked him up.

He walked beside her over to Moyasu. The ringmaster looked alive, which was obviously good. The boy handed her a small spool of twine. Tara looked at it, wondering if it was even strong enough to hold him.

"Why do you have this anyway?" she asked as she took it.

"Sometimes I just play with it when I'm bored." He replied, carefully watching Tara tie the ringmaster to the nearest pole.

"Well, it's a good thing." The firebender told him when she was done, "Thanks a bunch. Uh, you can go back to your dad now."

"Okay." He said but didn't move, "You're going after the wind buffalo, right?"

"One: Appa is a sky bison, not a buffalo. Two: Yes, I am. I have to make sure he gets back to the Avatar safely."

"Appa; so he has a name."

"Yeah, listen I've got to get moving."

"Alright, but why do you _have_ to get him to the Avatar?"

"He's the Avatar's bison."

"So?"

"I know the Avatar."

"Really? That's so cool."

"What, do you like the Avatar?"

"Well, my dad doesn't but I don't really see why we have to take over all four nations. It doesn't make sense to me."

"Finally, another Fire Nation person with a heart."

"So you're Fire Nation. I knew it."

"Yep, what a surprise."

"So-"

"Hey kid, I'd love to stay and chat but my time is ticking away. You seem real nice, though. Don't lose your way of thinking. It'll come in handy one day. What's your name?"

"Kazoku."

"Thanks for everything, Kazoku. Bye."

The boy's gray eyes looked at her in a mixture of confusion and fascination. Once again, Tara found him looking strangely like Aang. She sprinted away from the center ring to find the hallway in chaos. It seemed the other dancers had decided to rebel as well.

The hallway was a mix of people hitting and punching one another. This made it easy to get away. But, of course, Tara needed a way of transportation. First thing's first, though: supplies.

The firebender dashed outside of the tent and headed towards the one that she had seen Moyasu go into earlier. Her hopes were right, the tiny tent seemed to be the ringmaster's quarters.

Tara searched frantically through Moyasu's office, hoping to find something useful. Soon, she had obtained a medium-sized bag and was throwing anything helpful inside. Among the contents were a small pack of Sizzle Crisps, a sewn container of water, and a few loose coins. Finally, she came across the jackpot.

Her medical bag still full of everything, her quiver stocked with all the arrows, and trusty bow were all hidden away in a drawer of his desk. Tara clutched the items to her chest in happiness. She had thought that these items were long gone, sold to some other buyer, but it seemed that luck continued to be in her favor. Then a moment later, another miraculous find was made. It was Sokka's club, newly shined for resale. The firebender stuffed it in and threw her now-full bag over her shoulder.

Tara ran across the circus grounds to her second destination. The animal tent was already a bit roused up from the commotion outside. Quickly, she ran from cage to cage, opening each one. Some animals went straight for the exit while others bee-lined for the cabbage cart. After a short debate in her head, Tara grabbed a few of the vegetables herself and managed to fit them inside her bag.

When she turned away from the cabbage cart, Tara nearly shrieked. A vulture-griffin was staring straight at her from a couple feet away.

"It's okay, big guy." Tara said calmly, "I'll just be going now. You can stay here if you want but personally I'd like to leave so-"

"It's a girl, actually." The airy voice of Burijji cut through the silence, "Her name is Kokoro."

Tara looked at Burijji, still decked out in her fortune-telling outfit, then back at the vulture-griffin.

"Heart." She stated simply.

It was one of the few translations she happened to know.

"Yes." Burijji said softly, "She's got a gentle one, a free one. Kokoro wants leave this place."

"Well, great. Now she can."

"But she knows that she must go with you."

An icy chill went down her spine.

"Why? And-and how does she know that?"

"Vulture-griffins are very intelligent, no matter their heritage. Kokoro is no different."

At a loss for words, Tara took a step forward, her hand outstretched. Gently, she laid her palm on the top of Kokoro's bald head and rubbed the wrinkly skin. It was strange; Tara expected her skin to be cold but it was oddly warm. Kokoro pushed her head upwards, thoroughly enjoying it.

"Well, I do need some kind of transportation." Tara said softly, "Plus, I could use the company."

"Good." Burijji said matter-of-factly, "And you must take this."

She held out a decent-sized wooden box. Tara took it cautiously and opened the lid. Instantly, she gasped and slammed it shut.

"I can't take this." The firebender stated.

"You must."

"It's your way out."

"Now is not my time to leave. My job is not yet finished. You need it more than I."

Tara opened it again gingerly. The box was filled to the brim with both gold and copper coins; her tips from over the years.

"I-I guess I could take it."

"It's not an option. Now go."

Tara nodded and stuffed the box into her expanding bag. After a couple seconds she made it fit, though a corner was sticking out of the opening. Nervously, she stroked the black feathers covering Kokoro's side closest to her neck and, with one mighty leap, mounted her.

The vulture-griffin's back was definitely smaller than Appa's but Tara took comfort in the fact that now she could sleep during their ride. The firebender ran her hand over the expanse of black feathers and then short tan fur.

"Alright." She said happily, "Let's go. We've got to catch up with Appa."

"Oh, one more thing, Tara." Burijji said airily, "A message."

"From who?" the firebender asked, her eyebrows furrowed.

But Burijji ignored the question and continued a bit more creepily than usual.

"_The lily's journey does not end with the war._

_It will end with a battle that will occur now and then._

_This battle seems strange in this day in age,_

_But when it ends, along with the journey,_

_Each element will have been reborn."_

"What the-"

"Now go!"

Burijji lightly tapped the back of Kokoro's leg and she was running. Once they exited the tent, she began flapping her wings gracefully and soon they were soaring away. Ahead of them, Tara could make out the white dot that was Appa. Surprisingly, His light fur color stood out against the darkness of night.

Tara clutched onto Kokoro's neck for dear life. She looked back for a moment. The circus lights were slowly disappearing, along with the answer to whatever Burijji had meant. What could the 'message' mean, anyway? And who the heck was it from?

But Tara had an eerie feeling about who the original giver of the message was. Either she was dreaming or her old friend, Saol, had made a very special visit to Burijji.

**Whoa! Longest chapter ever! I hope I didn't bore you people! Now tell me, was it good? Gosh, I have to know! Anybody have an idea was the message means? I would adore hearing feedback especially on this very special chapter.**

**In case you haven't noticed, I'm splitting this episode into two chapters. Part one: mainly the circus stuff. Part two: everything else. I mean just look how long this chapter was! It's ridiculous! But not as much happens (to Tara anyway) in the rest of the episode, so part two will probably be about the same amount, if not shorter. **

**Then again, how many times have I said that? Anyway, didn't I say that this whole part of the story was going to be epic? So please please please review. I will be so very very happy if you do. Thanks for reading and come again!**


	12. Appa's Lost Days Part 2

**Oh my gosh! I haven't updated in SO long! I'm so sorry! Can you ever forgive me? Will this help?**

Appa's Lost Days Part 2

Tara stroked the feathery neck of Kokoro as she eagerly took a sip of water. Appa had finally stopped flying and had settled in someone's barn. She felt kind of bad letting him eat their hay but he could eat her whole food supply and still be hungry. Tara needed her food, obviously.

After leaving the circus, she had followed Appa back to the desert where the library was gone. There was only and large crater where it once was. Tara bit back tears. They had to have gotten out. If not, then where was Toph? Yeah, they were okay. They had to be.

Tara spotted her flyer half-buried in the sand nearby. She left it though. She didn't need it anymore and she sure didn't need any extra things. Appa soon took off again and went right into a Buzzard-Wasp hive. Luckily, he wasn't hurt and even got a bit of honey. But Tara still felt terrible about not being able to give him just a bit of food. Appa just wouldn't slow down though.

Until he finally made it here. She peeked into the door to see him rolling around in his sleep. She hoped his dreams weren't too bad. After that, she snuggled up with Kokoro behind the barn. The Vulture-Griffin's mix of feathers and fur made for a soft coat. Before attempting to fall asleep, she fed her a head of cabbage which she ate happily. Tara still felt bad about not having any meat for her though.

Minutes after closing her eyes a loud voice awoke her.

"Ahhh!" it yelled, "It's some kind of monster!"

Tara jumped up, knowing who the voice was referring to. She ran to the edge of the barn and peeked inside again. A farmer was waving a pitchfork in Appa's face and she suddenly had the overwhelming urge to shoot him full of fire. Did that guy have any sympathy?

Appa was angrily roaring at him. Tara wanted to do something but she was afraid Appa might freak out. He didn't actually know her. She was just another stranger. The farmer's wife came down from their house and so she quickly backed herself to the wall. Mrs. Farmer held a torch and after she went inside, Tara heard a loud roar from Appa before a huge crashing sound.

She looked up and turned around to see Appa flying away, leaving a gaping hole in the barn's roof.

"Oh, Appa." She stated with an exasperated sigh.

Tara dashed back to Kokoro and grabbed her bag, taking out the box of coins. She took a small handful and then shoved it back into her bag. After slinging it over her shoulder and climbing onto Kokoro's back, they began a fast trot in order to get into the air.

"Sorry!" Tara cried as they ran past the surprised couple.

She flung the handful of coins at them, hoping it would help cover the damages. And so it was another long night flying. Tara clung to Kokoro's neck and tried to close her eyes, but she wasn't used to the feeling of wind while she slept. She ended up staring at the landscape passing below her.

Near dawn, they passed a large river. Tara saw Appa fly over a boat and she spotted a familiar shape on the deck.

"Slow down, Kokoro." She whispered, "Could you hover by the side of that boat?"

She squawked as a response and the lowered to the side. Tara kept an eye out fro Appa as he went farther away. She slung her arms over the side as Iroh made his way to her. She spotted Zuko among the people asleep on the deck and her heart leapt.

_Don't wake up! Please, stay asleep!_ She chanted in her head.

"What are you doing here, Tara?" Iroh whispered to her, "Not that I am not glad to see you, of course. It has been a while since I have seen you or your friends."

She frowned.

"I thought maybe you've seen them." She stated sadly.

"I'm afraid not. Although I do believe the Avatar's bison just flew over a moment ago."

"Yeah. With an empty saddle; actually there's no saddle at all."

"May I ask what happened?"

Tara glanced up at the night sky where Appa was barely a dot on the horizon. He was flying fast tonight.

"Sorry, no time."

"Of course. By the way, what exactly are you wearing?"

"Uh. It's nothing. Where are you and… Zuko… going?"

"This ship is heading towards Ba Sing Se where we will begin a new life."

"Zuko can't be too happy about that."

"I admit that now he doesn't particularly like the idea but I hope that he will soon see the good it could turn out to be."

Tara nodded.

"I'm following Appa, hoping he might lead me back to everybody. Maybe I'll see you again."

"And maybe you won't. But for now, it is a hopeful goodbye."

"Right. Bye, Iroh."

They hugged each other a bit awkwardly from over the side of the boat. Tara took a couple coins from her bag and shoved them into the old man's hands.

"For a cup of tea." She whispered.

He smiled gratefully. Tara glanced at Zuko one last time before Kokoro flew higher in pursuit of the fluffy dot far away.

Hours later Appa landed, or really crashed, in a heavily wooded area. Kokoro alighted nearby while Tara slid off her back. She lay on her stomach inhaling the sent of grass.

"I'm so tired." She complained to herself.

She picked up her head slightly, hearing the fight going on. A Porcupine-Boar had attacked Appa and now they were in a full wild animal brawl.

"Oh, Appa." Tara said groggily, "Play nice."

She leaned against a tree trunk and lazily watched as the fight went on. Suddenly, Kokoro dropped her bag into her lap. She laughed the tiniest bit.

"You must be hungry, huh?" she asked, stroking her feathery head.

Tara took out a large head of cabbage.

"The last one." She stated longingly, "Enjoy it."

Kokoro gobbled it down without a moment's hesitation. Tara took out the bag of Sizzle Crisps and began munching on them.

"You know, even stale, these are pretty good."

A moment later Appa emerged from his fight and crawled into the abandoned mine where he promptly fell asleep.

"Think I should try to clean him up, Kokoro? I'm sure he'd enjoy not having chains around his feet."

The Vulture-Griffin did some kind of weird nodding that maybe only looked weird because she was part vulture. Yeah. Probably.

Tara picked up her water pouch and tip-toed to Appa. She swallowed nervously before pouring some water over his filthy fur. The Sky Bison's eyes snapped open and he roared. Tara screamed in surprise and she ran back to Kokoro.

"Maybe that wasn't such a good idea. But I am sort of awake now."

Kokoro cocked her head as Tara yawned.

"Oh, shut up. I need to find some humans. In the mean time I'm going to sleep, alright?"

Kokoro curled up and closed her eyes. Tara did the same.

The next morning, she was up around noon. After grabbing her bow and arrows, she set out to do something she had always vowed not to do: hunt.

She perched herself in a tree and had an arrow lazily strung in preparation. _For Kokoro. For Kokoro. She needs meat, protein. So do you but you wouldn't dare eat it. Come on, just pick an animal and kill it. No! I mean shoot it. No! Ugh! _

Finally, she spotted a decent sized Squirrel-Munk. It scurried across the small clearing near her tree, nibbling on a nut. Tara tightened her arrow and aimed.

_No! Look at it. It's adorable and you're about to kill it? _Her internal struggle was getting annoying so she fired her arrow and soon after heard a small squeak.

Tara peeked at the animal but quickly looked away.

"Aww." She said sadly.

A couple minutes later, she summoned the courage to pick up the dead animal. The firebender washed the body off with the remainder of her water, making a mental note to find a river or something soon. She took it back to her makeshift camp and plopped it in front of Kokoro.

She sniffed it and then immediately went back to sleep.

"Oh come on, girl. It's better fresh. I think."

She looked up at Tara, as if waiting for something better.

"You're a Vulture-Griffin. You eat meat. It's right there in front of you."

Kokoro turned to a large clump of weeds and took a huge bite.

"Really? Maybe you could've told me that you were a vegetarian before I killed that cute little creature. I'm not eating it."

An hour later, the Squirrel-Munk was skinned, deboned, cooked, and cut into neat little pieces. Tara took one piece in her hand and inspected it closely.

"I can't believe I'm going to eat this."

Yet a moment later, it was in her mouth and down her throat. She found that it didn't taste half-bad. She laughed as she thought of what Sokka would say. "Of course it tastes awesome. It's meat!"

Tara sighed. Sokka. She thought for a moment. Sokka!

The firebender shoved the rest of the meat into her mouth and grabbed Sokka's club from her bag. Swallowing, she fast-walked towards Appa's still-sleeping figure. She held out the club underneath his nose.

"It's Sokka's, look. Look, Appa. I know it's not Aang's but… you know him. You could know me."

The Sky Bison turned over in his sleep and Tara stepped back.

"I'll come back when you wake up."

The firebender walked back to her camp as the first raindrops began to fall. She didn't go any faster though. She was tired again, and lonely. Once she was back with Kokoro, she took out her empty water pouch and set it against a rock with the cap open. Rainwater is water.

Kokoro had taken shelter underneath some heavy branches but Tara just leaned against a tree, letting the rain soak her through. She clutched Sokka's club close to her chest as she slowly fell asleep.

The next morning, Tara was again perched in a tree, this one overlooking the clearing where Appa had fought with the Porcupine-Boar. She was half searching for something to hunt and half eyeing the berries on the bushes longingly. In fact, the firebender was about to jump down and gather them when there was a rustling in the bushes across the clearing.

She aimed her arrow at the noise but lowered it when she saw who came out. It was the Kyoshi Warriors. Tara couldn't believe her eyes. Maybe Sokka, Toph, Aang, and Katara were with them!

Moments passed, though, and they didn't emerge. She did see Suki, the lead Kyoshi Warrior who had befriended Sokka when they first met them. Tara suppressed a laugh remembering those few days.

She considered jumping down to greet them but soon pushed that thought back. She didn't have a good-enough story. But what if they knew where the gang was? That was valuable information, obviously.

Instead, though, Tara stayed tucked in the tree away from view. She watched them gather the berries and talk quietly among themselves.

"Must have been some fight." One commented, picking up a clump of Appa-fur stuck to a bush.

"Wait. Let me see that." Suki said as she inspected the fur, "No. It couldn't be."

_She's figuring out that Appa was here!_ Tara couldn't decide if this was good or not. It wasn't bad. They wouldn't hurt him. But there was a good chance that Tara would have to appear in order to… to…. Alright, she didn't know why. She just did.

Suki climbed up the hill, cautiously. Tara jumped along the branches, making her way to the hill, too.

"Appa?" Suki said when she saw the Sky Bison in the cave, "Oh, no."

Appa growled at her, backing up while doing so. Suki approached the entrance and laid out a handful of berries.

"Its gonna be okay, Appa. I have to leave, but I'm gonna be back soon with help."

Suki ran hurried back down the hill. Tara turned to follow but before that she saw Appa cautiously shuffle towards the fruit. He ate it all in one gulp.

"Give him food. It's that simple." Tara whispered to herself, "Why didn't I think of that?"

The firebender jumped off the tree and began to run back to the clearing but stopped mid-step. The Kyoshi Warriors were tip-toeing up the hill again.

"No sudden movements." Suki instructed the others, "He's been lost for a while, and he looks like he's hurt. He's shy around people and scared. Stay low, and stay quiet."

"I can't believe you found the Avatar's bison." Another one said in astonishment, "Didn't you just see the Avatar a few days ago?"

_What? Suki saw them? Yes! Suki saw them! They're alive! They're… somewhere._

"Yes." Suki continued, "So he can't be too far from here. It's our responsibility to get Appa back to him safely. This could be our most important mission yet."

Tara's eyes watched the Kyoshi Warrior approach Appa, but her mind was whirling. _The gang can't be too far from here, she said. Of course she did only mention Aang, but he was in the library along with Katara and Sokka. He wouldn't go out without them. That's just not like him. Plus if he got out then Toph would be with him. Yes! Everything is going to be okay._

"Give him some space!" Suki's voice snapped the firebender out of her daydream, "Appa, it's me, Suki. I'm a friend. I want to help you. You're hurt. We can help you feel better. And we can help you find Aang."

Aang. It was like the magic word. Suki rested her hand gently on his nose. Appa closed his eyes and laid down in acceptance. The Kyoshi Warriors pulled out brushes from their robes and began to brush out the knots from his fur. They got out burs and quills along the way.

Tara contemplated introducing herself now, but decided against it. It wasn't the right time. Or maybe she was just lazy.

About an hour or so later, in which the Kyoshi Warriors were hard at work and Tara was hanging out with Kokoro, Appa was nice and clean again. However, his chains needed a key and they didn't have anything strong enough to break it.

"We just need to find a hard rock or something." Suki stated.

_Or something._ Tara ran back to Kokoro and grabbed Sokka's club from her bag. When she ran back, she didn't even bother to hide again. She went right into the clearing in front of the cave.

"I got something!" the firebender yelled.

Suki adopted an expression of shock which quickly turned to hostility as she and the others got into their fighting stances, fans out and everything. Tara held her hands up but soon realized what she was holding. She dropped the club and returned her hands to the air.

"Where did you get that?" Suki demanded.

_Shoot! Why didn't I think of that?_

"Tell me!"

"It's Water Tribe."

"Yes. I know."

"I found it."

"You stole it, you mean."

"Well, I did. But the guy I stole it from stole it from someone else. I don't know who. I just thought it would be useful. I think you know whose it is, though."

"Yes. I do. Is that the whole truth?"

"The whole truth, I swear."

Suki nodded and signaled the others to drop their stance. Tara dropped her hands to her side and picked up the club.

"Now what did you mean by 'I got something'?"

"Well, I kind of overheard you. You said that you need something to break his chains and I uh, I've got something."

"Right. Who are you, anyway?"

"Uh, my name's…Lilly. Yeah."

"Okay. I'm Suki and we're the Kyoshi Warriors."

"From Kyoshi Island?"

"Yeah."

"Very cool."

"Let me see the club."

Tara handed her Sokka's club. She hit one chain with it and then again. The clashing sound was satisfactory but it barely made a dent. Suki repeated the hit many times but to no avail.

"It still won't break. It's just too hard."

Tara bit her lip.

"I know how to soften it up."

The Kyoshi Warriors looked at her in confusion.

"How?" one of them asked.

She didn't answer but instead knelt beside the chain. She took it in both her hands. Tara didn't need to concentrate. Firebending came to her easily and heating something up was even easier.

The metal indeed heated up and turned a deep orange. She could hear some gasping from behind her but ignored them. A moment later, she simply pulled the chain apart.

"There we go."

"You are a firebender." Suki stated, "You didn't tell us that."

"Well, you didn't ask, did you? And now you're probably going to think I'm 'evil' or something. I can respect that. But I'm not, okay?"

The Kyoshi Warriors all turned towards Suki who seemed a bit skeptical. She narrowed her eyes.

"Oh, duh! Why didn't I see it before? You've got black hair and amber eyes. Of course you're Fire Nation. Yet you don't see threatening."

"Thank you, I guess."

"I suppose I'll trust you for now, if, while you're taking off the chains, you tell me where exactly you got the club."

"Eh, okay."

The other Kyoshi Warriors went back to collect more berries so it was just Suki and Tara.

"So tell me, Lilly," Suki began as Tara heated up some more chains, "what's your story?"

Luckily, she finally had one prepared that skimmed pretty close to the truth.

"I was kidnapped in a small town in the desert. The sandbenders sold me to a circus in the Fire Nation colonies. I was there was a little less than a day before the Sky Bison here-,"

"Appa,"

"Right, Appa, he escaped and sent everybody into a rebellion. I stole some stuff from the ringleader's place. Well, I took the bag that was mine before and it had some stuff in it from other people. I freed the animals but a Vulture-Griffin, who I lovingly call Kokoro, decided she liked me. We flew after Appa. I knew he belonged to the Avatar. Figured he would lead me to him."

"You want to see the Avatar?"

"Yeah. I heard you knew him."

"His name is Aang. He travels with two Water Tribe people, Sokka and Katara. The club is Sokka's. A blind earthbender named Toph is also with them. Why do you want to see him?"

"I don't like what my country is doing, Suki. Maybe that's a bit surprising to you, but it's true. I haven't lived there since I was seven but it doesn't mean I don't miss it. The land itself is beautiful and the people are great. The people in charge are terrible. They're the ones to be taken out. I mean to join the rebellion against them."

"Well, that's a very noble thing to do."

Tara laughed bitterly.

"You seem great, Suki. But it seems to me that hardly anyone really gets that not everyone in the Fire Nation is evil and bloodthirsty and out to destroy anybody who doesn't bow down to the Fire Lord. It seems that you're included."

She sighed.

"I'm sorry that I've offended you. Why did you leave the Fire Nation when you were only seven?"

At that moment, Tara had pulled off the last chain.

"There you go, Appa." She said happily, standing up, "All free."

Suki stood up and placed her hand on the firebender's shoulder.

"You didn't answer my question."

"It's a long story, okay?"

"I've got time."

"Well, uh… my mom died and then my dad went nuts. There, that's the long story short."

"I'm sorry. That's awful."

"Yeah, there was nothing I could do about it."  
"Where did you go? How did you leave?"

"I stowed away on a ship and… and then I lived on the streets of random Earth Kingdom towns. I learned my way around."

"Pretty bad way to grow up."

"Nothing's gonna change that now. Right, Appa?"

Tara stroked his fur, happy that he now seemed to trust her. Suki nodded.

"Come on, everyone." She called, "Appa is all better now."

The Kyoshi Warriors scrambled up the hill and circled around the Sky Bison.

"Oh, he looks so great!" one cried in delight.

"If only we could give him a bigger lunch." Another laughed.

A light bulb went off in Tara's head.

"I have some food." She said.

"Wouldn't that be your whole stock?" Suki asked in concern.

"Ah, doesn't matter." Tara replied, "There seems to be a lot of stuff here and something tells me I'll be here for a while. At least until I figure out my next plan of action."

"You can travel with us, of course!" a girl exclaimed, "Right, Suki?"

"I don't see why not."

"What, really?" Tara said in astonishment. This is different.

"Really."

She blinked.

"Okay." The firebender responded softly, "I'll be back with my stuff."

Tara scratched the back of her neck for a moment, but then turned for the woods. She walked in a walk that soon turned into a brisk run for her camp. When she arrived she twirled around a bit before flopping onto the ground.

"Guess what, Kokoro?" she said dreamily.

The Vulture-Griffin raised her head from her sleeping position, curled into her wing.

"We've got ourselves a new traveling group. And you know what? They're humans. No more talking to myself. Well, you, but… why am I _still _talking?"

Tara stood up energetically and began gathering her things which have been strewn around the ground for the last two days. She stuffed them into her bag, making note of everything as she formed a mental checklist.

"We are leaving this place!" the firebender sing-songed happily, "Hopefully forever!"

She stopped her gathering for a moment and turned towards Kokoro again.

"Cause, you know, our lives' are pretty messed up and you can't be sure that we're not gonna end up he-,"

Suddenly, the unmistakable sound of fighting erupted from a while away.

"Not good." Tara whispered.

The firebender fast-walked towards the clearing and crouched behind a bush on the edge. The Kyoshi Warriors were all down except for Suki was one-on-one with Azula. Mai and Ty Lee stood by, knowing that the princess was one fighter who liked defeating their enemies alone.

"Get out of here!" Suki shouted, waving a burning branch at Appa's hovering body, "You have to find Aang! We'll be okay!"

The Sky Bison rose higher into the sky and finally flew away. Suki smiled in relief briefly before Azula shot a fiery blast towards her. The warrior blocked it with her shield as Tara flinched.

"Don't you know that fans just make flames stronger?" Azula mocked as Suki pulled open her fan.

She narrowed her eyes in contempt just before they both lunged at each other. That was when Tara pushed Suki out of the way and blocked the princess's shot with her own.

"Lilly!" Suki shouted in surprise.

"I should've known you were still alive." Azula said in anger.

Tara smirked.

"It's gonna take more than pushing me into a crumbling, burning building to kill me."

Suki's eyes widened and then squinted. They widened again as they became fixated on Tara's arm. The wind blew her sleeve so that you could clearly see the ugly scars that swirled across her forearm.

"How would you like some more to match those?" Azula laughed.

Tara prepared to attack when Suki knocked the princess off her feet. They were soon locked in a fierce battle. Ty Lee and Mai quickly went for her. The girl in pink twirled her way to her and attempted to punch her, most likely to perform her chi-blocking thing. Tara hit back her arm and the cycle repeated for a bit before a knife wizzed past her ear.

She barely missed it. If she would've moved an inch here poor ear would be history. Tara shot a blast of fire towards Mai and then continued her fight with Ty Lee. But it was only moments before a series of punches hit the girly girl square on and, with a final fiery one, sent her to the ground unconscious.

A quick glance told Tara that Azula was gaining on Suki but she was still holding her ground. The fight with Mai was more difficult, but it was long distance. Knives flew this way and that, sending Tara the opposite direction. The firebender returned the attacks with fire blasts curved for the dark girl's sides.

She wasn't sure how long it went on, only of her weariness increasing. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Suki finally go down. The knives stopped coming as Azula stepped towards her looking as though she hadn't even fought at all.

"Give it up, _Lilly_." She taunted, "You're clearly outnumbered and outmatched."

Tara mildly noticed Azula's use of the name Lilly. Oh, yeah. Suki had said it. More, though, she saw the Kyoshi Warriors lying on the forest floor. They seemed to all be breathing, but it was still worrying. It was obvious that Tara was beat especially as she noted her difficulty breathing. But…

"I'll never give up." She stated simply.

"Oh, well." Azula said with a shrug.

The princess lunged for her but, before Tara could react, a flash of brown and white lifted her off the ground. She lifted her head off the soft texture beneath her. Through her barely-opened eyes she could see Azula pointing daggers at her.

"No, go back!" Tara yelled softly.

It seemed as though all her tiredness crashed down on her. She clutched onto Kokoro's neck as she beat her wings harder. Tara kept staring back at the slowly disappearing clearing.

"Suki," She whispered sadly.

She left them behind. Azula had captured them by now. Soon, Tara couldn't see the small clearing, but the trail of smoke that rose up from the burning fallen tree marked it. Tara had let them down. What would Sokka say?

He would be upset, she knew it. He would yell, maybe. Later he would say that he was sorry, that is wasn't her fault. But she wouldn't believe him. She would try to swallow down her guilt that kept rising. And then she would cry.

At some point, Tara must've fallen asleep because when she awoke she found herself in a strange place. The sky was just brightening for dawn. She lay against a stone column overrun in vines. She could feel Kokoro's sleeping form beside her. Tara blinked a couple times and gasped slightly.

Was this an _air temple_? It sure looked like one. There were many other columns that sat across the area. They were all vine-covered as was the ground. A few rows away she could see the outside and the other mountains surrounding them. Tara turned around and examined the column seeing intricate designs of orange and tan.

Oh yeah. This was an air temple. Tara had been to two in the past. This definitely wasn't the northern one, where her friend, Cara, lived along with a whole community. That one was overrun with mechanical stuff instead of vines.

The southern one, where Aang had lived, was pretty far away from where she was. Of course, that didn't mean it wasn't possible but Tara had searched through that whole thing when they had visited there. She hadn't seen a room like this, especially since it was this big. So this was either the Eastern Air Temple or the Western Air Temple.

Her stomach grumbled and she reached for her bag, finding its strap in Kokoro's beak. Tara gently took it and grabbed the remainder of the Sizzle Crisps. As she munched silently on them, realization hit her.

How was her bag here? Didn't she leave it behind? Oh wait. The strap was in Kokoro's mouth. She carried it along the way. Tara looked back at her. _Spirits, that's one smart vegetarian Vulture-Griffin. _

She closed the bag of Sizzle Crisps slowly and placed it in her bag. Tara took her water pouch and set out to find something to fill it up in. She walked through the columns until she came upon a large square balcony. Lying nearest to her was Appa and her heart soared with relief.

She hadn't even realized that they might not know where the Sky Bison was, yet here he is. Kokoro must've followed him to the Air Temple. She was just the strangest, in a good way, Vulture-Griffin ever.

Tara noticed that Appa was still awake and his head was pointed towards one particular spot, unmoving. She squinted and saw a skinny dark-skinned man in tattered clothing. He was laying back-down on the ground, knees slightly in the air. That is so weird.

She decided not to disturb either of them, convinced that this was one of Appa's new 'I'm totally paranoid around humans now' moment. She sympathized for him, she understood, but it did get annoying. The firebender tip-toed away and, as the sky completely brightened, she explored the Air Temple.

There were many rooms she passed, all taken over by weeds. It seemed like a labyrinth of different areas, all beautiful in their own way. One room had a large ceiling with many windows letting in an array of light. Another was filled with paintings of Air Nomads, Sky Bison, and little lemurs all just hanging out by trees and walls that looked like the ones in the temple.

Tara looked more closely at the faded paint and ran her finger over a scene of young boys playing that airball game that Aang had dominated Sokka in back at the Southern Air Temple. Had Aang ever been to this temple? Well, they didn't call them Air _Nomads_ for nothing. He probably had. She remembered how sad he was when they had visited his old temple.

He woke up 100 years later to nothing. Spirits. Tara hadn't really thought too much about it. Solemnly she walked away from the room and resumed traveling around the edge of the temple.

Soon, she saw a narrow area between cliffs. The firebender could hear the gentle sound of trickling water. _Water._ That's what she had set out to find, and she would find some. Cautiously, she stepped onto the craggy decline to the cliff. A couple of panicky 'I am _so_ gonna fall and crack my head open' moments later, she was on slightly flatter ground and in sight of the source of water.

It was a series of small pools that emptied into larger ones. Each pool was at a new elevation and was edged with algae. In the distance was a much bigger pool that was also supplied water with two skinny water falls from a higher cliff. It was a pretty scene if she wasn't thinking about the possibility of slipping.

Tara took off her green robe and threw it on the ground beside her so that she was just in her red shorts and tank top. The cool mountain air felt good on her skin but the cooler water from the pool felt even better when she dipped her toes in. Soon, both her legs were submerged in the water.

The firebender splashed water on her face in an effort to clean it a bit. After that, she filled up her water pouch and drank the whole thing. Wow. She didn't realize how thirsty she was. Tara filled it up again and laid it on top of her green robe. Then, just as night began to fall, she closed her eyes and relaxed for a while.

"Enjoying the cool water, I see."

Tara screamed and jumped up so that she was now standing in the pool. It was the guy who Appa was intimidating before. Now that she could see his face, she took in his whole appearance.

He seemed to be quite old with a pretty large and fluffy white beard and mustache with matching eyebrows. He was way too skinny and wore tattered beige cloth that only covered half his chest. A thin brown rope was tied at his waist.

The guy also seemed to be chuckling.

"Sorry, uh, am I supposed to be in this pool?" she asked, "Is it, like, sacred?"

Shoot, she hadn't thought of that before.

"No, no. Not that I know of." He replied, still smiling.

"Oh, okay." She said as she put her robe back on.

"Are you a friend of Appa's?" he asked.

"Sort of."

"Well, of course you are!"

"Oh… okay."

Tara looked at him waiting for him to say something but he only stared back with that strange smile of his.

"Do you live here?" she finally asked.

"Yes."

…

"Do you want me to go?"

"No, no. We must wait until Appa is awake before you can continue your journey."

"Wait, how do you know Appa's name?"

_It's not like he told you._

"I just know. And you must be Tara."

She arched an eyebrow.

"Uh, yeah. Who are you?"

"My name is Guru Pathik. I have been expecting Appa and Aang for some time now. I had a vision a long time ago of helping the young avatar."

"You're not an Air Nomad?"

"I am afraid Aang truly is the last one. I came to the Eastern Air Temple to wait for him to come."

_Ha! I knew it was the eastern one! Or the western. _

"I guess you'll have to wait a bit longer."

"So it would seem."

"How do you know me?"

"I have heard of you too. Only vaguely, but I saw enough. Your name, your heritage."

Tara fidgeted. It was like Burijji all over again. She had tried to push that memory far away. It was like… like a prophecy, what she had said. She didn't need any prophecies told to her. They only complicated life more. She decided that she didn't want to see or hear from Saol ever again.

"I do not know much more than that." The guru continued, "I just know that you must continue this journey and for this part it is with Appa. You must help him find Aang."

"Right. I, uh, have to go back to Kokoro."

Tara grasped her water pouch tightly and fast-walked away from the pools, past the rooms, and through the columns to where she had been before. It was a long walk and she found herself panting by the time she arrived. Kokoro was awake and grooming her feathers but she looked up when Tara came in sight.

"I've got some water, girl." She stated, waving the pouch in the air.

Defeated and upset, she shoved the pouch into her bag and curled up with Kokoro for a nap.

"Wake up, Tara." A thickly accented voice emerged into her dreamy world, "It is about time."

She creaked open her eyes to a bushy white thing hanging in her face.

"Guru Pathik?" she stated drowsily.

"Yes, and Appa is about to wake. I have already gathered our breakfast. Would you like to go give some to him?"

He held out a few fruits. Tara rubbed her eyes, annoyed at the old man while still grateful towards him for getting food. She stood up, took the fruits and began her walk towards the balcony. The firebender glanced back to see the guru happily giving Kokoro and handful of fruits too. Gosh. And with how skinny he was?

Appa was sleeping on his side, mouth wide open. For a second Tara considered tossing the fruits right into it but decided that was mean. Plus, it would probably freak him out. So, she laid his breakfast out in front of him. When he woke up he would see it there.

The task completed, Tara made her way back to her camp to find both Kokoro and Guru Pathik gone.

"Where did they go?" she asked the air, thoroughly annoyed now.

This guy would fit in nicely with the traveling hippie nomads they had met on their second trip to Omashu. Except, Guru Pathik seemed kind of smart.

Tara walked around until she came upon a super large clearing around one side of the temple. After a walk down a lot of stairs, she found him sitting cross-legged on a raised platform, birds rested on his head, shoulder, and knees. Kokoro was flying circles in the sky.

"What are doing?" she asked tiredly.

"Not very much."

Tara blinked. She spotted a few fruits by her feet. Assuming they were her breakfast, she slowly picked them up. After sitting down on the stair, she just stared at the fruits, turning them around in her hands.

This was hopeless. For the rest of her life, Tara would aimlessly follow around Appa hoping for him to lead her back to Sokka. She would scrape by and would occasionally come across someone like Burijji or Guru Pathik. The glory days were over.

Eventually, she ate one fruit. Tara stood up to see the guru in the same position as before except his eyes were closed. Not wanting to disturb him, she wasn't really sure if he was meditating or not, she walked away quietly just as Kokoro was landing.

The Vulture-Griffin quickly trotted up to her and walked beside her. Tara made her way back to the pools. There, she sat on the edge of one and dipped her fit in the water. She rested her arms on her knees and her head on them. Kokoro nuzzled her head on her back.

"What're we going to do, girl?" Tara asked somberly.

In response, she made some kind of strange bird call that had a hint of a mighty roar. Tara accepted this as words of sympathy. She took her three remaining fruits and slowly ate two. She turned the last one over in her hand numerous times.

She should eat it. She didn't have too much food to spare. Yet, the firebender didn't feel as hungry as she should.

"Here, want this?" Tara asked Kokoro, holding it up to her beak, "You eat more than me anyway."

The Vulture-Griffin ate it up in one gulp. A little while later, during which Tara just sat there feeling sorry for herself, Guru Pathik came by.

"I thought that I might find you here." He said leisurely.

Tara didn't answer. She didn't know what to say.

"I understand how you must be feeling." He continued, "You probably think that you are useless to this world, but you are wrong. You are just as important as Aang in this battle, I know that much. You must not lose hope, Tara, for once hope is gone it can be hard to obtain it again."

_Ugh. Too much wisdom._

"Perhaps it would help if I told you that I can figure out where your friends are?"

Tara picked up her head and looked at him.

"How?"

"Appa and Aang have an unbreakable bond. I can read his energy and know where the young Avatar is."

"That," she stated matter-of-factly as she stepped out of the pool, "is so super cool. So, can you do that now?"

"Yes, I suppose. But only after you eat another fruit."

_Whoa. How did he know that?_ Guru Pathik began walking away and, in new high spirits, Tara happily fast-walked with him. Kokoro trotted behind them.

"So where did you get the fruit?' she asked.

"Ah, I will show you."

And he did. The rest of the day was spent gorging on the fruit that was just in season. The guru insisted that he would have enough food after she left. He said that the fruits used to feed the all the Air Nomads living there and that they would be more than enough for one person. His size didn't really help his case.

They were in a small orchard of trees on the edge of one side of the temple. Tara was surprised because she had thought that she had walked the whole perimeter. Apparently not.

Appa was with them and she thought that he and Kokoro became kinda sorta friends. At least, they got along pretty well. The guru spoke wise words to her about various aspects of life, nature, people, the order of things, though she only understood about half of them. Suddenly, Tara didn't find old Guru Pathik so annoying anymore.

As night fell, the guru came up to her with his twig-like arms full of fruit.

"Go pack these and get ready to leave." He told her, "I will find Aang. Meet me on the balcony."

She nodded with a wide smile. After taking the fruits, she ran to her camp, Kokoro close at her heels. Tara stuffed them into her bag along with anything else that may be on the ground.

"We're finally going to find them, Kokoro!" she said laughing gleefully, "You'll love them, I know it. Sokka's so funny and occasionally smart. Though he does have the tendency to be really annoying at times. And Toph! She just says whatever she wants. It's so hilarious. We won't get to know Aang and Katara too well, they won't know about us. Although… maybe this is our chance." She shook her head, "No. No, that's ridiculous. But Aang is so kind and funny, too. Katara, well let me tell you, she can be annoying a lot of times. And then there are those times when she is just the best and I forget everything else about her."

Tara drifted off into her mind. It was nighttime now. She slung her bag over her shoulder and draped her arm over Kokoro's neck.

"Let's go home, girl."

They walked leisurely towards the balcony. They arrived just as Appa was taking off into the sky. Guru Pathik turned to them and smiled.

"They are in Ba Sing Se." he stated with a smile.

"The Earth Kingdom capital?" she asked in shock.

"I believe so."

"Appa knows where to go?"

"Yes. You can follow him."

"Sounds good. Thank you for everything, Guru Pathik. Really."

"I am just doing what I know must be done."

Tara nodded, gave the thin man a hug, and climbed onto Kokoro's back.

"Off we go." She whispered as the Vulture-Griffin launched into the sky.

She turned back to see the guru waving. She waved back and then settled down for the ride. When she awoke, Tara could see the huge city coming closer.

"Where am I going to put you, Kokoro?"

Soon they passed over the first wall. Appa landed down into what looked like a zoo. The walls of the exhibits were made of rock. It looked like they were done by an earthbender. That's so cool!

Kokoro landed a little way from Appa, who was sniffing the ground like his life depended on it.

"Who are you?" a voice rang out into the night.

Tara turned around and slid off Kokoro's back. It was an older but not that old man with black hair on the backside of his head that was braided down his back. He had a small beard that went nicely with his thin and bushy at the end eyebrows. He also had two distinct wrinkles that ran along his forehead.

"Sorry, uh I-,"

"Are you a refugee?' he asked.

"Sure. I mean, yeah, I am."

"Do you have a place to stay yet?"

"I-I don't know. Maybe."

"How do not know if you have one yet?"

"Well, I'm meeting friends."

"Ah, I see. I see. Not many places will let you keep a Vulture-Griffin."

"Yeah, I just kind of thought about it."

The man looked from her to Kokoro and then back at her. He walked towards her and began stroking Kokoro's head.

"Vulture-Griffin's like open skies and plenty of space to explore."

"Her name's Kokoro."

"That's a mighty fine name. So, what's yours?"

"Uh, Tara."

He nodded.

"I'm Kenji"

"Okay."

"I'll tell you what, Tara. A Vulture-Griffin would be a nice addition to my little zoo."

"Oh, well-,"

Kenji held up his hand.

"Please, let me finish. You can come visit her anytime you want. I just don't want to see any animal in a bad place. And if you ever leave the city, she is still yours."

"You would really do that? Seriously? That would be awesome, if it wasn't any trouble."

"None at all."

"I'll visit every day, I promise. And I'll try to bring food too. She doesn't eat meat. I know that's weird, but really, I've tried."

"That sounds wonderful. I suggest you go find your friends now. It's the middle of the night. I will go find an extra exhibit for Kokoro."

"Sounds great! Oh, thank you, thank you!" Tara turned towards Kokoro and gave her a hug, "Oh, girl, you've got a home now! Can you believe it? This is happening. I'll bring Sokka by one day and maybe Toph too. I'm sure you'll see Aang and Katara eventually too. Everything is turning out great."

Tara watched Kenji guide the Vulture-Griffin away and then quickly ran for Appa. He had turned around an exhibit which is why Kenji didn't see him, but he wasn't in the sky. Finally she found him still sniffing the ground.

"Hey, Appa." She whispered.

His head turned towards her.

"Okay, so I think we made great progress yesterday. I figure I can ride you now, right? Can I accompany you to where Aang is?"

He made that distinctly Appa sound which Tara interpreted as 'fine'. Nervously, she climbed onto his massive fluffy back and clung on tightly to his snow white fur. The Sky Bison spent a few more minutes sniffing before taking off.

They flew into the more city-like part of Ba Sing Se. Appa landed in a reasonably sized area between some buildings. Tara slid off his back and dashed into the nearest alleyway, worried that someone she didn't know from the gang might see her. But suddenly a man she didn't know emerged from the dark alleyway across form her. She hid herself a bit better and took in his image.

He wore a fancy outfit of dark dark green and golden edges. He had a black goatee and mustache. Only a blank yet slightly mean expression was shone on his face. He was just putting away what looked like a whistle. _A whistle? Wait, I didn't hear a whistle. Oh, shoot!_

One quick earthbending move later Appa was gone is a cloud of dust. Tara's eyes widened. They were _so _close. How dare that guy take him! But then the man looked straight at her. She tensed up and prepared to attack but before she could, he did.

She fell to her knees, her hands and feet bound by earth. She struggled but it was useless. He slowly made his way to her and looked her in the eye. Terror welled up inside her.

"Who are you?"

**Alright. It's finally done. Was that good enough for you guys? I mean like **_**really **_**good? I now realize that Aang and the zoo came after Appa got captured but the order of the episodes got me all confused and… I'm not changing it now. I'll admit that Kokoro had no where to go but there and the zookeeper dude wouldn't accept her before he got his new place. Anyway. I have many worries. **

**I feel really bad about not updating. I want to tell you though, I've set a new deadline. By the end of my Christmas break, Jan.2 or 3 or something like that, I will be into the third season. Woo-hoo! Can't wait, right? Gonna be epic. **

**So please pretty please review! I could really use some right now. Seriously. With love to all my readers and people out there! This has been purple, signing off. I'll see you, I when I say see I mean write to , next time!**

**P.S. review! **


	13. Lake Laogai

**Oh, this is so exciting! This is one of my absolute favorite episodes though this should be very different than the real one. Also, this chapter starts a while before the actual episode does. Without further ado,**

Lake Laogai

Tara stared back at the man.

"Who are you?" he repeated, sounding actually angry this time though only a little bit.

She swallowed nervously but refused to answer. Whoever this guy was, he seemed like bad news.

"I'm not a very patient man, little girl." He said. Tara gritted her teeth in anger. She was _not_ little. "Answer my question."

She continued to stare defiantly back hoping that her expression was the opposite of what she was actually feeling. Soon, he sighed and performed a quick earthbending move. The world flipped, making her feel the tiniest bit dizzy. She fell and hit ground, but it wasn't the alleyway. Her earthen binds were gone, but that was all she knew because the room or wherever she happened to be completely dark. The ground was dusty or maybe that was dirt. Yeah. That was dirt.

Suddenly a light flickered on, revealing only one half of the man that she had seen before. The other half was still cast in darkness. The light had an eerie affect though; the man's shadow was visible on the nearest wall. Oh yeah, this was just a room. There was a stone door behind the man with no doorknob. _I guess earthbenders don't really need those._

Before Tara could think of attacking or doing something someone, no two people, grabbed her arms. They hoisted her up and planted her in a chair that must've been behind her. She squirmed but it didn't do a thing. Stone swept over her wrists, ankles, stomach, and forehead.

That is a lot of restraints. These guys mean business.

"I'm not going to ask you again." He stated, stepping out of the shadows for dramatic affect, "Who are you?"

Tara just kept staring back.

"I suggest you answer me. It would be in your best interest."

She narrowed her eyes. The man sighed and clenched his fist. For split second she wondered why, he didn't seem overly angry, but that was before the wind was knocked out of her.

The restraint around her stomach had tightened, making it harder to breathe. Tara took in short breaths that made little huffing sounds.

"Would you consider answering now?"

Darn it. This guy is good. She only wished he would stop talking so polite. Gosh, he's not fooling anyone. Tara felt the restraint tighten ever so slightly more, yet is felt a whole lot worse. She squeezed her eyes shut. Maybe she could just…

No! No way. She's not giving up this easily. Then it tightened more. It felt like her ribs were being crushed. Once again, Tara found herself having an inner argument.

_Lie._

_No! He'll know._

_How?_

_He just will. You can tell by his creepy politeness._

_What? That's crazy._

_No. It's true._

_Come on. That's ridiculous. Just lie._

_I am not succumbing to pain._

_Oh, aren't you brave all of a sudden. Look, you don't know anything about where the gang is and they already have Appa._

_They're in Ba Sing Se._

_We're in Ba Sing Se. They probably already know where they are._

It tightened more.

_Darn it! Fine._

"Tara!" she croaked.

Immediately, the restraint was normal again. She gasped and breathed heavily.

_I said lie!_

_I couldn't think of one! There wasn't any oxygen in my brain!_

The man smiled.

"So Tara," he began, "What is your business in Ba Sing Se?"

"What's yours?"

"Excuse me for not introducing myself earlier. My name is Long Feng. I am in command of the Dai Li and an advisor to the Earth King."

"Alright, two things: one, are the Dai Li these guys beside me? Two, does the Earth King know whatever the heck you're doing? Because obviously this doesn't seem quite right."

"The Dai Li protect the cultural heritage here in Ba Sing Se."

"Uh, I'm going to take that as a yes. And the-,"

"The Earth King doesn't need to concern himself with such matters."

"So that's just a fancy nice-sounding way to say no."

"You haven't answered my question yet."

"Right. Yeah. I'm a refugee, of course. Why are you so up in my case about it? I thought Ba Sing Se was the safest place for refugees from the Fire Nation."

"Hmm. I would have accepted that answer had you not refrained from telling me before."

Tara swallowed nervously.

"I'm a very private person. I don't like strangers knowing everything about me."

"Why were you not in your house but instead out on the street?"

"Well-,"

"Why were you following the bison?"

She looked at him.

"Uh, what bison?"

"I suggest you tell the truth, Tara."

_That's it. The jig is up. I'm totally going to die._

_No. Just tell the story you told Suki._

_Oh, me! You're such a genius!_

"Fine. You got me." She said maybe a little overly dramatic, "I was a simple villager in the country. Then one day, I found the bison in a field nearby. He was quite tame to me because I gave him some food. I traveled with him to here hoping to find the Avatar because I wish to join him against the Fire Nation. I'm not one to stand by and watch."

_Ha ha. That's all you do, Tara._

_Spirits, I'm going crazy by myself._

Long Feng looked at her for a few moments more, probably assessing her truthfulness. Finally, he turned to the Dai Li guys beside her.

"Take her to Lake Laogai."

"Huh? What is that code word for something?" she panicked as they led her away, her arms restrained in stone.

"She will be kept under Lake Laogai until I can find a use for her."

"What? What's that supposed to mean?"

They brought her through the door and down a long hallway lit dimly by more lanterns. _I'm so going to die._ There were a few doors here and there but all were closed. It seemed like forever before they finally came upon the end. Tara's heels dragged from her weariness but the Dai Li didn't seem to have changed.

After the door, they went through another series of hallways that twisted and turned. The doors that lined these were usually slightly ajar, as if they wanted everyone who passed by to see inside.

And maybe they did, it was kind of creepy. One room was full of women wearing the same outfit and blank expression, but they were definitely different people. A man in the front was talking to them. No, he was just saying sentences.

"I'm Joo Dee." He stated.

The women all repeated it. He continued to say other statements that all happened to sound like they were making the city seem a whole lot better than it actually was. Then again, Tara hadn't seen much of the city besides here.

The women all repeated these statements together in an eerie chorus. Whoa. That is super creepy. It's like… like brainwashing. It was a stupid urban legend that no one really believed in. Yet, what else could it be? Suddenly it hit her. What did Long Feng say about her? Oh yeah, something about finding a use for her.

He couldn't brainwash her and use her to his advantage because, as far as he knew, no one in the gang knew her. And they wouldn't trust her as a stranger either, especially not Katara. Yet Tara couldn't be set free in the city, but why? Because she knew too much? That seemed to make sense. But didn't Long Feng realize that by interrogating her she would have to be imprisoned anyway?

No. There was more to this. And she planned to find out. But then, as the Dai Li threw her into a smallish room with only two lanterns dimly lighting it and the stone door, this one with a doorknob, slammed closed, she wondered how.

Tara sat up and got into a cross-legged position. Wait a second. She grabbed for her bag and twisted around a bit. Yep. They took her bag and her bow and arrows. Well, why was she so surprised? It's not like they were going to let her keep her weapons. That would be stupid.

She sighed. She was _so _close. Poor Appa was close to reuniting with his best friend. Now he was snatched away to… probably another room around here somewhere. A bigger room, most likely. This one was kind of tiny.

_That's what you're thinking about right now? How small your cell is? You're not trying to figure out how to escape._

_Oh, please. I'm not escaping from the inside. I'd have to be an earthbender._

_That's it? You're just going to give up like that?_

_Do have a better plan?_

_You're just going to wait here for someone else to rescue you? I mean, who's going to rescue you anyway? Sokka and Toph have no idea that you're here. Aang and Katara have no idea you exist. Suki's been captured. Iroh doesn't know where you are either, and would he even rescue you if he did? One thing's for sure, Zuko wouldn't._

_You're such a downer._

_Ah, boo hoo._

_Go away, argument voice!_

_Can't. We're having an argument. _

_Ugh! I'm going crazy!_

Tara scooted over to the corner where she pulled her knees up close to her chest and closed her eyes. This is so hopeless. Her argument voice was right. No one's coming to her rescue. But her other voice was right too. This room was totally escape-proof, unless she was an earthbender, which she wasn't.

Trying to do something helpful, she stood up and began scanning the walls for a possible way out. She ran her fingers over each brick and space in between. It was all the same: solid rock. There wasn't a doorknob on the inside of the door and the space in between was smaller than her pinky toe could even fit in a little bit. With a heavy heart, she sat down in the corner again.

Suddenly, Tara was hungry. Were they going to feed her? They better if they want her alive. And water, she kind of needed that. No sooner had she thought this then a small slot opened up beside the door and a tray was shoved inside. The opening quickly closed after it. Tara took the tray and placed it neatly in her lap. She then proceeded to examine what she was given.

There was a small cup of water that she deemed clean and bowl of… of… well she wasn't sure what. It looked like mush colored a light brown; kind of like dirt. Using the bent fork she was also given, she poked it a bit and searched for something recognizable. The firebender thought she saw some meat once and a little green thing that may or may not have been some sort of vegetable.

Wanting to get the potential hazard away from her, she pushed the tray as far across the floor as possible without actually moving from her corner. Tara did keep the water, which she gulped down generously, and the fork, after wiping it off on the stone wall. She figured that wall was probably cleaner than the mush. And who knows? The fork could come in handy someday… somehow.

A couple hours later, which she spent staring at the ceiling wondering how her life got so messed up, Tara was ravenous. Her stomach growled every other minute and it wasn't that subtle growling that you think only you can hear. It was the kind that's super loud and the people nearest to you turn to look and you feel really embarrassed even though it's not exactly your fault.

Yeah. It was that kind of growling.

Tara stared longingly at the tray of mush. No. She was not eating it. But then a few minutes later, she was digging her poor little fork into it placing it carefully in her mouth. It was salty, cold, and moist. It tasted strangely of uncooked blubber, which Tara had had the misfortune of accidentally eating one time. Yeah. It wasn't a nice taste.

She wished that she had saved some water to wash it down with, but she did feel better. The firebender placed everything back on the tray, except for her new friend the fork, and shoved it across the floor where it hit the wall with a satisfying clang. Ha. Stupid mush.

Tara hugged her shins again and placed her chin in the wedge in between. Soon, she fell asleep. When she woke up it was freezing cold. Spirits. Who knew a secret base underneath a lake would get cold at night? Not this firebender.

She shivered audibly and cursed herself for believing that after spending the large majority of her life in the South Pole she would be immune to extreme cold. Darn optimism. Then she discovered that her fork was gone. Aw.

For the next few days, this was how Tara's life went by. She counted these days by when it got cold and lived off mush and water. Her stubbornness made her keep each fork that came her way in an attempt to show some kind of defiance. Each one was taken back the moment she got some shut-eye, no matter how hard she tried to keep it away.

At some point, she lost track of the days, what with no way of marking them on her cell wall. Even her sort of trusty forks couldn't penetrate the stone. Tara decided it had been more or less a week when she found herself having to share her little room.

She was sitting cross-legged in the corner, fingering her newly attained fork and wondering where she could hide it next. Maybe she could dig a tunnel out. No, that's stupid. Besides she would need a spoon to even try that. A spork would probably be perfect.

Suddenly, the door opened and a frantic figure was thrown inside. The door slammed shut just as quickly. The figure was a boy who was about her age. He immediately stood up and started banging on the door with his fists.

"No! They're Fire Nation! I'm telling you, you've got to believe me!" he yelled.

The boy was achingly familiar. He had bushy brown hair and a rather strange outfit, a mix of red and blue articles of clothing. On his shoulders were some sort of protection pads, one silver and one yellow. Around his waist was a brown belt of some sort.

Once he turned around, though, Tara knew exactly who he was: Jet. Those long but skinny expressive eyebrows told it all. He looked at her, obviously shocked. Yeah, he probably didn't know she was there.

"Hey." She said casually with a small wave of her fork.

Inside, she just kept chanting one phrase over and over again. _Please don't recognize me. Please don't recognize. Please don't recognize me. _It would sort of be hard to. She was completely filthy from being in the room for days. Her hair was pulled back in what used to be a braid and what now just looked like a large clump of hair. Her get-up was all different and she wasn't tied up. Psh. What was she worrying about?

Then Jet stepped forward and pointed at her.

"You're that Fire Nation girl who escaped!" he yelled.

Of course.

"You know, it's impolite to point." She stated.

That probably wasn't the best thing to say. He was already fuming. He also seemed to be at a loss for words. Poor guy had no weapons or way of interrogation.

"Calm down, Jet. Just sit down."

Surprisingly enough, he did. He was heavily breathing and seemed to be in deep thought. She didn't want to upset him any further, even if she had a mass of questions, so she just continued staring at the ceiling.

"How did you escape?" Jet finally asked.

"My friend freed me." She said simply.

"That's it?"

"Yup. So what happened to you?"

"I could say the same to you."

"Touché."

They sat there for a moment more. Jet stared speechlessly at her while she attempted to shine her fork on her robe.

"Where are we?" he asked in defeat.

"Somewhere underneath a lake. Lake Laogai to be exact. Unless that _was _code word for something. Then I have no idea."

"What did you do?"

"What?"

"What did you do to get here?"

"I'll tell you if you tell me."

He sighed.

"These two guys were from the Fire Nation. I saw one firebend. No one believed me."

"So… what? You got here because people thought you were crazy?"

"I attacked one of them to make them firebend. That's why I was arrested."

"I guess it didn't really go to plan, huh?"

"He fought back with some swords."

"Ah."

"So what's your story?"

"Well, let's see. I was in the city for about a half hour. I saw Long Feng kidnap the Avatar's bison. He saw me watching and decided I was bad news shortly after I did the same for him. The rest is history."

"You're still following the Avatar and all of them."

"Eh, sorta kinda."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It's a long story. Plus, I'm not going to tell you anyway."

"I guess that's fair. I wouldn't."

"Well, yeah, I figured."

An awkward silence followed.

"So how come your Freedom Fighters weren't arrested with you. Did they ditch you after what you did?"

Jet clenched his teeth.

"The gang split mutually into a few groups. We had too many differences. I came to Ba Sing Se with Longshot and Smellerbee."

"Okay, okay. That doesn't explain why _they_ aren't here."

"We came for a new life."

"Oh, Longshot and Smellerbee didn't really approve of your little 'Spirits! They're Fire Nation! Must destroy!' thing. Am I right?"

…

"I see how you're ignoring my question, Jet. I see that."

"Why are you even asking?"

"Fine. Let's sit in this room for days on end and never talk."

"Fine."

More silence followed.

"It's because I'm Fire Nation, isn't it? You just can't get over that."

"I thought we decided not to talk."

"I'm bored, Jet. Come on, just tell me. It won't hurt."

"You can't trust any firebender."

"Well, you don't know that I'm a firebender."

"Are you?"

"Yes. But that doesn't prove anything. You can trust me. I've always been on your side, except when you were trying to kill everyone in that town. I was against you then."

"The Fire Nation kills dozens of people every day."

"One: I don't think that statistic is official though it probably is more or less true. Two: _I_ don't kill people. In fact, I've never killed any… never mind. But those were Fire Nation soldiers who were attacking the North Pole. Have you heard about that? It was very exciting."

"Yeah. I did."

"So… uh, tell me more about the 'Fire Nation' guys you saw. Did they look evil?"

"Maybe I would consider answering if you wouldn't do that."

"Do what? I'm just asking normal questions."

"Any you wonder why I hate firebenders."

"Alright. Alright. I'm sorry. You're right. I wasn't really helping my case. I'll start over. Hello, Jet! My name is Tara. Now I will attempt to start a conversation off of something I already know. What did the Fire Nation guys you saw look like?"

"Why do you even care?"

"Again, this is me trying to talk about _something_."

"Fine. One was about my age but tall. He had short hair and a big scar over one of his eyes. The firebender was much older. I saw him heating his tea."

Tara's eyes widened. She just thought he was still downright crazy and obsessed. Yet, she did know that Iroh and Zuko were heading towards the city. Why had she not thought of this earlier?

"Do you know them?" Jet's question brought her back from her thoughts.

"No." she replied a little too fast.

"I can tell you're lying."

"Okay. I do. They're not bad, though. At least, I don't think so."

"How can you not know?"

Tara sighed.

"Well, I know Iroh is good. He's super wise but he loves his nephew and wants him to choose good. Zuko's just confused about who he wants to be because of his messed up childhood. He has to live with what his father has done and is doing. It's hard for him."

"You sound upset."

"Yeah, well. I guess I am a little."

"What do you mean? What has his father done?"

"Oh, uh. I can't tell you that. Actually, I think I've said too much."

"I thought we were gonna trust each other now."

"I didn't think you would actually hold me to it."

"Just tell me."

"Promise you won't be mad?"

"I promise."

"Okay. Zuko is Prince Zuko. As in the banished prince of the Fire Nation, heir to the throne."

"What? But that makes the old guy General Iroh! The one who had this city for, like, 600 days!"

"Well, what did you think by the names Iroh and Zuko?"

"They gave me fake names!"

"Oh… that makes sense. Hey, you said you wouldn't be mad."

"I'm not."

Tara looked at him skeptically.

"Alright. Whatever."

"How did Zuko get that scar, then?"

She furrowed her eyebrows.

"I don't know."

"Must be a good story, huh?"

"I don't think so."

"You're not lying again, are you?"

"No."

Tara seriously didn't know, though it had crossed her mind before. How would a Fire Nation prince get a scar that was clearly once a burn? A training accident? A battle wound? How long has he had it? It looked like it was as healed as it was going to get. And over his eye? Ouch.

She stuck her fork straight up into the ground. This was upsetting. Next time she saw him, she would ask. That is if the circumstances were right. Usually they weren't. Actually, Zuko didn't really know her. Never mind.

"Are you okay?" Jet asked, eyeing the fork worriedly.

"I'm fine." Tara rubbed her arms, "It is getting cold, though. Must be nighttime."

"It was night when I was arrested. It did take a while to get here, though. Spirits, I'm starving."

"Yeah, you kind of just missed dinner. Not that you would like it. I only eat to keep my stomach down."

"Great."

Tara sunk into a more slouched position and continued rubbing her arms for warmth. It had to my night. It seemed more cold than usual. In fact, a couple minutes later, she found herself shivering again.

"Uh, are you cold?" Jet asked.

"Freezing. You'd think I'd be used to it by now. Aren't you cold at all?"

"Nah. I always wear warm clothing just in case."

"Well, aren't you prepared?" she responded sarcastically.

**Jet POV**

Jet leaned against the wall. This was so frustrating. And weird. It was very weird. What were the odds that he would be thrown in jail with the girl that escaped him months before? Pretty high, most likely.

How did he get here? How did his life get so messed up? He promised Longshot and Smellerbee that he wouldn't get involved in the war anymore, or not like this anyway. Yet he insisted on going after those Fire Nation guys. Although, apparently they weren't bad after all.

No! Wait! Stop! Tara was getting in his head. She's one of them herself. They were all evil and out for destruction. Jet couldn't trust any of them.

But when he saw her now, curled up in the corner shivering, she didn't look like anything besides pathetic. Spirits, even her teeth were chattering. He admitted that it was a bit cold, but he wasn't going to say that to Tara. He just tried to ignore her.

It didn't work for long though. Plus, it didn't help that he had nothing else to focus on. With a sigh, he turned towards her.

"Come here." He stated.

She looked at him like he was crazy.

"What?" Tara said.

"Body heat makes you warmer."

"And?"

"Well, you're cold."

"Just because you spent a bunch of your life living in the forest doesn't mean you're some sort of survival expert."

"Actually, it does. Just come here."

Tara sighed dramatically and made her way across the floor. She sat beside him and leaned against his shoulder.

"This doesn't help at all."

"Well, no, it wouldn't."

"What do you want me to do? Sit on your lap?"

"Yes."

"No."

"Do you want to be cold?"

"Uh, no."

"Then do what I say."

"This is ridiculous."

Tara sat on his lap and he wrapped his arms around her stomach.

"Better?"

"This is really awkward… but yeah."

"Good."

Jet just relaxed and closed his eyes, content on getting some sleep. A few minutes later, he felt Tara rest her head against him. Maybe it was weird for two strangers who hated each other, but for two strangers who hated each other but also wanted to survive it was normal.

He had actually used the body heat method many times before when the Freedom Fighters were still together. It was usually on those particularly brutal nights of winter when the younger ones were complaining. Tara was bigger but skinny, really skinny.

Suddenly a strange thought popped into Jet's head: maybe she wasn't all that bad. Was there one bad thing that she had told him about her… ever? No. He didn't think so. So what was the harm?

He thought about when he was first thrown into the room with her. It was hard to recognize her; in fact she looked completely different. Truthfully, it was the eyes that gave it away. They were amber like any other Fire Nation girl, but unique. Behind the surface they flickered like a real fire or flames dancing across a field. When he had first seen her, her eyes flared with determination and hatred. Now, they were alive with loneliness and only fizzed slightly.

Yet no one else had eyes like those.

Soon, Jet fell asleep like that. He awoke to Tara cautiously trying to get up.

"Oh, sorry." She whispered when she saw his eyes open.

"That's fine."

She stood up and stretched before sitting back down in her corner.

"Aw. The fork's gone." She stated sadly.

He decided not to ask, even though it was just about the weirdest thing he had encountered about her yet. Another thought hit him just then.

"Tara, you're a firebender, right?" he asked.

"Yep. I thought we already established that."

"Yeah. Why didn't you just make a fire or something at night?"

She looked at him, realization dawning on her face.

"Uh, didn't really think of it. Well, that's nice to know for tonight."

Jet nodded, but secretly he was sort of disappointed.

**Sokka POV**

"Do we really have to do this?" Sokka asked.

"Come on, Sokka." Aang replied happily, "It'll be fun."

The two guys were on their way to the Ba Sing Se Zoo for their Guy Day. They had run out of things to do in the city while waiting for their audience with the Earth King and Aang had suggested they take a Guy Day.

This is not what Sokka had had in mind.

"You already helped this guy out once, do we really have to again?" he persisted.

"We're not going just to give Kenji more money. Thanks to the new location, he gets visitors all the time."

"So why are we going?"

"For fun, Sokka! Just come on."

The warrior sighed as they went through the entrance and paid the fee. For a while, the pair walked through the zoo. Aang named every single animal before they even read the nameplate. Sokka decided to suck up his feelings and just go with it. After all, this was the happiest he had seen his friend in a long time. It seemed that hanging out with other animals took his mind off Appa, if only for a little bit.

Soon, they came across Kenji, who was tending to a large Vulture-Griffin. The old man looked at them and smiled.

"It's good to see you again, Avatar." He said.

"It's good to see you too." Aang replied, "Uh, where'd you get this one. I don't remember seeing it."

"It's quite a strange story, actually. Kokoro, here, came to my possession when a young girl stopped by my zoo in the middle of the night."

Sokka perked up. Young girl and the middle of the night? Sounded like… like… no. He refused to let himself hope. Yet, he listened to the story more intently.

"She seemed a bit off," Kenji continued, "like she wasn't sure about where she was. I asked if she had a place to go and she said that she had to find some friends before she knew. I told her I could keep her Vulture-Griffin here since the usual renter wouldn't allow an animal this big. Course, she seemed to really be happy at that and wouldn't stop thanking me. She left real soon after that but not before she promised to visit often and bring food for the animal which she named Kokoro. She even had a little goodbye chat with her before bolting off. That's why I think it's a bit odd that I haven't seen her since."

Sokka was in shock. That-that had to be Tara, and something had happened to her. He was sure of it. She was here in the city, no less. He looked over at Aang who seemed to be concerned.

"I hope nothing bad happened." The airbender replied.

"What did she look like?" Sokka asked urgently.

Aang looked at him curiously.

"Just in case we see her." he said.

Kenji rubbed his chin in thought.

"She was about your age, maybe older, wore a long green robe or something. I think her hair was black, though it could've been dark brown. Hard to tell in the dark. And it was in a braid of some sort."

Disappointment filled the warrior. That didn't really sound like Tara, except for the age and hair color. Unless it was dark brown. She didn't have a Vulture-Griffin anyway. What was he thinking? Though there was only one way to be sure.

"And what color were her eyes?"

Both Kenji and Aang looked at him strangely.

"That could be an important detail." He defended himself.

"Sokka, you're not going all detective again, are you?" the airbender asked.

"I have to do _something_. I'm running out of stupid things to do in this city."

"Well, I'm not sure I can remember, anyway." Kenji said sadly, "Um, they were a strange color. I do remember that."

_Strange… like amber. _She was alive. Appa was probably with her. They were in Ba Sing Se. And they were in trouble. He couldn't wait to tell Toph.

**Tara POV**

Tara gulped down her water, washing away the taste of mush.

"Ugh." She stated afterwards with a grimace.

Jet looked up from his bowl, obvious discomfort on his face.

"Sorry." He said softly.

Tara watched him carefully.

"Oh, Jet." She responded quietly, "It's not your fault. It was bad before too."

He smiled and laughed a little.

"That's not what I meant."

"Oh. Then what did you mean?"

"About wrongly accusing you. About hating you for no good reason. About that whole thing."

Tara didn't know what to say. She didn't take Jet to be the type of guy to apologize. This was really weird. She scratched her neck and fingered her newest fork.

"Are you going to say something?" he asked, a bit agitated.

"Uh, yeah."

…

"Anytime now."

"Sorry. Uh, I forgive you. Yeah. We're all good now… inmate buddy."

He laughed, relief obviously visible on his face. She smiled. _This was the beginning of a beautiful friendship. _She smiled at the cheesy thought and then frowned. _That is, if we ever get out of here._

No. Think about something else now. Okay. … Tara looked up at him. He put down his empty bowl and pushed it away with disgust. It was time to use this newfound trust o ask some burning questions.

"So how did you end up getting the Freedom Fighters together?" she asked.

Jet stared at her.

"It's kind of a long story."

"If you haven't noticed, we've got lots of time."

He frowned and looked away.

"I don't really like talking about it."

She felt like bringing up the trust thing again but felt this was more of a 'my past is sad and depressing so I don't like thinking about it' thing. So she used a line that had worked before.

"I'll tell you if you tell me."

Jet inhaled deeply, as if thinking.

"Fine. But this time you go first."

"Fair enough. Hmm."

Tara contemplated which version to give him. The one she told Toph? Or maybe the shorter more of a lie she told Suki? But as she looked around their tiny room, wondering if she would ever get out alive, she felt compelled to say more. Maybe… a lot more.

"Let me tell you a story about a little fire girl." Tara began.

And she went on and on like that, right to when she was captured by Long Feng. She wasn't sure how long it took and she hadn't realized how confusing her life was or how stupid it may seem to anyone else. The whole time, though, Jet just listened, his eyes fixed on her. Sometimes it was creepy. Other times it was sort of comforting.

When the story was over she felt like a rock that had been crushing her for so long was suddenly removed. She had only told everything to Sokka. Actually, Jet knew more now because Sokka didn't know what happened after the desert incident.

Tara looked at Jet, who had finally turned away and was scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Well, now it's your turn." She stated confidently.

He nodded and sighed.

"I was eight." He started, "I lived in a small town. It was nothing special. I had parents and a little brother. His name was Rikoru. I woke up that day before it was even light out to go exploring in the nearby woods. I always did that, but my parents didn't really like it. I didn't think they understood back then. Now, though, I know they were just trying to protect me. The day before, we had a fight. I was told to never go in the woods without them ever again. Of course, I didn't listen. In the end, that's what saved me.

After a while, I heard commotion and I saw the smoke. I ran back as fast as I could. I got there and the whole town was engulfed in flames. I could hear screams. I called for them again and again, but… no one answered. Soon, I saw the people responsible. The leader was tall and wore a Fire Nation military uniform. He was real muscle-y and had a strange ponytail that looked more like feathers or something. From that to the back of his uniform, there was a weird bone thing. He was absolutely terrifying back then. Now I could take him, though. I would kill him now.

He and the others left soon after that and when the fires died down I went searching for my family. I found them. They were all dead, except for Rikoru who was still barely breathing. I tried to wake him up. I got him some water. I did everything. I yelled for help. I knew there were other survivors. I had seen them running out. I still had seen them hiding in the trees, but no one came. My little brother died in my arms, mumbling my name over and over again, crying for help. I could do nothing.

After that, I lived in the forest off the berries and other things. Soon other kids like me came through. We joined up, knowing we would have a better chance together. Somehow, I became the leader and over time others came. We became the Freedom Fighters. Meanwhile, in the ashes of my old town, a new one was built. It didn't take long for the Fire Nation to occupy it and I came to hate it. I hated everything about it.

That's pretty much it. That's when you guys showed up. After you left, a lot of people realized what we had done and they left. We split into a bunch of groups. Sneers, Fern, and Redwood were the only ones who stayed. I think they planned to help rebuild the town again. The Duke and Pipsqueak left to help you guys. Longshot, Smellerbee, and I… well, you know the rest."

Tara nodded. That was… so sad. She couldn't decide if it was worse than hers, but she guessed that she was sort of biased. Spirits, poor Jet. She never thought much about his family. It was like… unfathomable. Now everything was so real.

She reached over and grabbed his arms, pulling him closer into a hug.

"We're okay now, Jet." She whispered into his ear, "We're all good."

When they let go, Tara's heart broke as she saw the glimmer of tears in his brown eyes.

"I'm not sure that we're in a much better position, Tara." He said with a small chuckle.

"Well, we've got each other, right?"

"Right."

"Alright, promise me one thing, Jet."

"What?"

"Whatever happens, we're gonna get each other out of here."

"Sounds like a fair deal."

"Okay, pinky swear."

Tara held out her pinky which locked with his.

"And we've got to be alive." She continued.

"Of course."

They let go and immediately laughed.

For the next few weeks or so, they couldn't possibly be sure, the days went by more or less the same. Each night they were kept warm by Tara's fire. What they thought was around the middle of the day, they received their mush and water. Tara kept her fork for as long as she could, and eventually convinced Jet to do the same. The whole time, the pair talked and talked. It was true that they had nothing better to do.

They talked about some random things but mostly spoke about stories in their life. Tara told some hilarious happenings with Sokka from the Southern Water tribe. Jet told some action-y tales from the glory days of the Freedom Fighters. Sometimes they were laughing, other times they sat there feeling awkward and sad.

One day, though, things changed. It was early morning. Tara had just extinguished her fire and Jet had just informed her that the forks were still there. They both rejoiced and laughed. They had finally found the best hiding spot for their small rebellion: in Jet's hair. She took back hers, which she knew by its distinctive bend.

Suddenly the heavy rock door slid open, revealing two Dai Li agents who walked in and slammed the door behind them. The agents both stood there for a moment. Their faces were basically the same, except for one with a long scar along the side, and wore a cruel expression. Jet and Tara exchanged a quick glance.

"The boy comes." Scarface stated, "He has finally become of use to us."

Tara was filled with dread. No. This wasn't happening. The other agent went to grab Jet. He looked like he was ready to fight back but she wouldn't allow it.

"You'll have to go through me first." She said simply shielding him with her body.

"What are you doing?" Jet whispered urgently in her ear, "They'll know where you're from if you you-know-what."

She didn't respond, only stared at the agents defiantly. Noscar's eyes narrowed and seemed ready to administer earthbending. Tara prepared to counterattack, but was never able to. Scarface had a hand in front of Noscar, a signal to hold back.

"We'll let these two have a moment to say goodbye." He stated, "But when we come back, we _will _take him."

And just like that they were gone. She turned towards Jet whose eyes were huge as he continued to stare where the Dai Li agents had been. Tara pulled him into a tight embrace as she began to cry.

"Tara..." he started in shock, "what's gonna happen to me?"

"You'll be okay, Jet." she said but immediately went into a frantic state, while still hugging, "They wouldn't kill you. They'll brainwash you. They'll make you forget."

He pulled away from her and they gazes locked. His eyes swam with worry.

"Forget what?" he asked in a voice that practically screamed 'Do I really want to know?'

But Tara answered anyway. She hoped it would help if he had all the information possible. Long Feng had given her a huge hint and the room she had passed gave even more.

"You won't remember this place. You won't remember getting captured or staying here at all. They'll replace that memory with a new fake story. They'll-"

"I won't remember you." he realized softly.

The firebender choked back tears.

"No. No, I don't think you will. I'll just be the Fire Nation scum that got away again. But that's not the most important thing."

"But it is, Tara. I hated you before."

"Well, there's nothing we can do about it." she continued softly before she began to ramble with worry, "They'll brainwash you and that'll be that. But if that fails and you somehow get your memory back they'll make sure to make a back-up system; a specific statement or something that'll put you into some kind of ultra killing mode."

"What!" Jet exclaimed in soft panic, "What do I do?"

Tara grabbed his shoulders.

"You should, um, keep thinking of one thing. Something someone is bound to say for you."

"Like what? What!"

"I-I-I don't know! Um, you're a freedom fighter! Jet! Yes, that's it! Jet, remember that you're a freedom fighter. Repeat it over and over again in your head as they do whatever it is they do! Got that?"

Jet looked at her. His eyes had surprisingly calmed as he realized his situation. He pulled away, leaning against the wall, and swallowed nervously. Running his hand through his thick brunette hair, he closed his eyes tightly and seemed to think. Tara's breathing slowly went back to a normal pace. She fixed her eyes on the earth kingdom boy, not knowing what else to do. Then his eyes opened cautiously.

"Tell me you'll be alright, Tara." he asked calmly.

She inched her way over to him and wrapped her arms around his skinny body again. He didn't return the gesture but didn't tense up either.

"We'll be okay, Jet. Remember our promise. Whatever happens we'll both make it out safe and sound."

"Okay." he whispered back.

Then he silently put his fork into her hand.

"For safekeeping."

Tara stifled a tiny laugh and held it close to her like it was the key to everything.

Suddenly, the door opened again revealing the two Dai Li agents. Tara didn't bother releasing the boy from her grip because, without a word, Noscar grabbed Jet's arm. He forced him to stand and walk in front of him. Scarface took his other arm. Jet's gaze never left hers. Before they closed the door, Scarface turned back to her.

"Don't worry. If he proves of little use to us, it will soon be your turn."

Tara's eyes widened a bit more but her eyes never left Jet. His own eyes were sad and concerned as if he wasn't the one heading off into the unknown. The door slammed shut and the firebender was left alone again. Tears started flowing down her cheeks once more and this time she let them go. No one was there to see her cry.

She leaned against the wall and tried to shut her eyes. But every time she did images of Jet swam through her mind. Those brown eyes haunted her with every new thought that came. How did they brainwash? Was it painful? Oh, spirits! No! She just couldn't think about it. Yet Tara just couldn't push the matter away like it was that simple.

It seemed that someone else, somebody she was just starting to know, had been taken away from her again. But she wouldn't let Jet down. She couldn't save her mother. She couldn't save her father. She couldn't save Suki. She couldn't even save Appa. The firebender meant what she said. There was nothing left for her now. Nothing but Jet. Tara would do anything for him now. And to think that when she first met him, she hated his guts.

The day went slowly after that. She stayed in her corner and just kept rubbing Jet's fork with her finger, tears carving channels through the dirt on her cheeks. At some point, her meal tray was pushed out, but Tara wasn't really hungry. She just… wasn't. When night came, she made her small fire and kept it in her hand.

But she didn't feel any warmer, not really. She wished to be held by Jet again and deeply regretted making a fire each night instead. She didn't fall asleep, she wouldn't let herself. If she did, Jet's fork would be taken away. She wouldn't let that happen.

Suddenly, sometime after midday, a large thud came from the door. Tara looked up. That was weird. You'd think the Dai Li would know how to get in. Then another thud came and the door swung open, banging against the closest wall. Wait a second. She knew the intruder. She had heard his description once before.

He was tall and wore all black that covered his whole body along with a strange mask of white and blue. It was Zuko. But apparently he didn't recognize her because he immediately went to close the door.

"No! Wait!" she practically screamed.

Tara scrambled up and fast-walked towards the door. After she left the room, both hers and Jet's forks clutched tightly in her hand, she placed her free hand on 'the blue spirit's' shoulder.

"Thanks, Zuko." She stated simply before turning to leave.

His hand clamped on her shoulder and spun her around. He still wore his mask, but it was obvious that he was shocked.

"How do you know it's me?" he demanded.

"Oh, Zuko, I know a lot about you."

"Who are you?"

"Just call me the Fire Lily, _Blue Spirit_."

Tara broke away from his grip and sprinted down the hallway. She wanted to get out of here. She wanted to find Jet. She wanted to visit Kokoro. She wanted to hug Sokka. Suddenly, a familiar sight was visible from an open doorway.

She backed up a few steps until she could see it again. No. Way. Leaning clumsily against a desk was her bag. Tara peered inside and, seeing no one, went in. She slung her bag over her shoulder, just like old times, after shoving the two forks inside.

She smiled and ran back out the hallway, then down it. When she turned down another corridor, she crashed to the floor in surprise. She sat up to see Sokka yards in front of her. Katara, Aang, and Toph were running ahead of him.

"Come on, Sokka!" she could hear Katara yell without turning around.

"I'm just watching the back!" Sokka yelled back, though his eyes were fixed on her.

He walked forward slowly and held out his hand. Cautiously, she took it and stood up. He pulled her into a tight embrace.

"Tara?" he said while still hugging.

"Yeah, it's me."

"I thought you were dead until… about a week ago."

"I missed you, oh mighty warrior."

"I missed you too." He pulled away, "What happened?"

"Long story, no time. You better go."

He nodded.

"Follow close behind, okay?"

"Sure. Um, have you seen Jet?"

**(Happy New Year!)**

"Uh, why?"

"We served some time together. Come on, Sokka, I can tell you've seen him."

"Tara… he's dead."

"No."

"Long Feng killed him."

"No."

"Smellerbee and Longshot are with him."

"I promised. I have to keep my promise. I'll be back, Sokka."

She gave him a quick peck on the cheek and turned to go away but then stopped. Tara pulled out Sokka's club from her bag and shoved it in his hands.

"You're welcome."

"They're in the big door to the right."

She nodded gratefully and turned away. Tara followed his instructions and finally found it. Once she went through the door, she found a huge room. In the center was Jet lying back down on the ground. Smellerbee was kneeling beside him, tears streaking down her face. Longshot was standing up and aiming an arrow straight at her.

"Don't shoot!" she yelled calmly as she continued fast-walking towards them.

He kept aiming at her but allowed her to keep going. Smellerbee turned towards her curiously.

"Who are you?" she asked with a mix of sadness and hostility.

"I'm Tara." She said softly as she finally got to them, "Uh, Jet, remember me? Do you?"

She kneeled opposite of Smellerbee and placed her hands on Jet's arm.

"Tara?" he said hoarsely.

"Yeah! It's me. Here."

She pulled out his fork from her bag and placed it firmly in his grasp. He smiled faintly.

"Thanks."

"Of course. Now, come on. I can't forget my promise."

"No."

He shook his head slightly.

"It's too late. I can't go."

"Well… I'll carry you. You can't be that heavy. And Smellerbee can help while Longshot protects us. You can do it. You can do anything."

But Jet just kept shaking his head, pain visible in his brown eyes. The other two Freedom Fighters watched, looking both confused and sad.

"I have to keep my promise too." Jet whispered, "Go. Long Feng will be back soon along with more Dai Li agents. You've been gone long enough."

"That's not fair. That would only be me."

"Please, Tara."

"Go." Longshot said persistently yet really calmly at the same time.

She squeezed his arm.

"Fine. But not without some help."

Tara dug out her box from Burijji. She opened it quickly and took a huge handful of it. She held it out and Smellerbee took it cautiously.

"Thanks." She said gratefully.

She bit her lip. No. They deserved more. Tara put her hand back into the box to grab more but her hand bumped against something that felt more like glass than coins. She grasped the object and pulled it out.

It was a small glass bottle filled with bluish-clear liquid with tiny bubbles. She turned it over in her hand, looking for a label of some kind, but found nothing. How long has that been in there? Since the box was given to her from Burijji? Since the circus? Just now?

But Tara had never seen any liquid like it before or heard of it. She looked at Jet. Well… if he really was going to die anyway.

"Give him this." She whispered as she gave it to Smellerbee.

"What is it?"

"Uh, something helpful. I hope."

She looked at her worriedly, but put it in her pocket along with the money. Tara turned to say goodbye to Jet but found that he was already unconscious. Silently, she pulled out her own fork and switched it with his. She swallowed nervously and stood up.

"Tell him, when he wakes up, that he'll have that to remember me by, and that I won't stop looking. Say to him that I won't forget what we had… or maybe, if things had been different, could've had. I…I," Tara choked back tears and ran out.

She ran out the room, down the hallways, through the little doorway that led above the lake, up the hill, across the pastures, until she could see the outline of the inner city. Then, Tara tossed her bag on the ground and collapsed, exhaustion and hunger finally taking her over.

There she stayed, once again clutching Jet's fork to her heart.

**Whoa. I think it's easy to say that was my longest chapter ever. Sorry about the random interruption in a kind of intense part but I was very exciting. I wrote that right at midnight. Actually, right now it's 1:21. Just in case you would like to know.**

**Wow. I absolutely loved this chapter and episode. It was a joy to write because Jet is one of my all-time favorite characters, right after Zuko and Sokka. I really hope that I did him justice writing him. Is he too OOC? I tried to imagine what he would be like in that situation. Anyway. **

**Sorry about the wait. Remember what I said last chapter? About getting to the 3****rd**** season? Yeah. You can disregard that. But I actually am writing at every chance I get. I just have a lot going on. Not in my life but in these couple chapters. **

**Shout out to Zuzur! I adore your reviews! I truly do! I'm a big fan of Zuko too, and Percy Jackson. I would love to write a one-or-two-shot for it if I could just come up with an idea. I'm sad to say there will be no more long drawn out plotlines for anything else. I've got my hands full with this. Also, do not give up on me! I understand your frustration with my not too frequent updates because I do that too with fanfics I follow. But **_**please**_** don't assume I will drop a fic that easily. I've got to have something really awesome and better to do that. **

**Anyway. Please review! I would greatly appreciate any that I get! Constructive criticism is welcomed! I am always in need of some! Juts hit the button, type a few words, and it'll make my day. And if it really makes me jump for joy (I'm serious. I've done that.) I'll probably shout out to you. **

**Thanks for reading and… review! 3**

**PS I recently realized that the zookeeper dude actually has a name, Kenji, which I included in this chapter. In the last one, I gave him a name because I didn't think he did. Now I feel really stupid because I usually research these things online but for some reason I didn't before. I will change it when I get around to it. Promise.**


	14. The Earth King

**And so the trilogy of Tara Alone has ended, but a new period has begun! May I present to you…**

The Earth King

Tara awoke to find herself lying in a patch of grass. For a moment, she was downright confused. Then she remembered what had happened the day before.

Jet was dead. She picked up his fork that was lying near her. It seemed sort of stupid now, keeping their forks in an act of defiance. It's not like it ever worked except for that one time. But it was enough to make them so happy. Of course, that didn't last long.

Shoot. Tara should get going. Sokka would be wondering where she was. But she didn't even know where they lived. Did they save Appa? She assumed they did. Jet had remembered her which could only mean two things. One: she had been wrong about how brainwashing worked. Two: the gang had managed to snap him out of it.

Spirits! Did Aang and Katara know about her? No. Jet wouldn't tell and Sokka hadn't revealed her yesterday. Suddenly, Tara's stomach growled and she remembered not eating anything the day before. She dumped out her bag, hoping to find something useful.

_Let's see. Bow and arrows: check. Box of coins: check. Water pouch: check. Water in pouch: not check. Fruit: check. Rottenness of fruit: check. Jet's fork: check. Gauze: check, oh. Well, that wouldn't have helped anyway. Piece of paper: check. Wait, what?_

She unrolled the scroll to find the ad for the Upper Ring apartment that the foxy knowledge seeker had given. Wow. That seemed like a long time ago. Tara thought for a moment. That _was _a long time ago.

Maybe this meant something. The fox gave it to her for a reason. That's it! It must be where the gang lived! Yes! Thank you, super smart fox! Oh, everything was turning around. She just needed to find some food.

So, Tara walked across the fields, grateful to be back in the daylight but sadly wishing that Jet were there. She pushed the thought away and tried to focus on the positive. Finally, she made it to the middle ring, no longer happy to be outside but instead just wanting to rest her legs, and find breakfast.

It was lucky that there were small booths and carts filled with fresh fruit with pushy merchants jumping on you at every corner. She bought a couple apples and started to head towards the Upper Ring. As she bit into the red flesh, she read over the address of the apartment.

Finally, she came upon the wall separating the Middle Ring from the Upper one. Tara scaled along the edge until she found the entrance. It was a small door with a man in uniform and a long line of various people. She managed to get to the back of the line and waited for about a half-hour which, on the bright side, gave her time to finish the two apples.

During her wait, other people who finally got to the man were mostly shooed away disappointed and a few were allowed to enter. Tara began to wonder whether she would even be able to get inside. Soon, it was her turn.

"Passport." The man stated.

"Uh, I don't really have one. Is that a problem?"

"Well, how could you possibly get in the Upper Ring without a passport, little lady?"

"I didn't need one to get in the Middle Ring."

"Hundreds of refugees like you reside in the Middle Ring. High-class people with ages of ancestors living in Ba Sing Se live in the Upper Ring."

"That's kind of unfair, don't you think? What if I'm like super rich, huh? Then I would belong behind that wall."

The man leaned forward so that he was nose to nose with her, his hands neatly behind his back.

"But you're not rich, are you, little lady?"

Tara looked at him and pushed his forehead up with her pointer finger.

"As a matter of fact, I am not. However I have some wealthy friends who have invited me to their apartment this afternoon which just so happens to be in the Upper Ring."

"Do you know how many times a day I get that story? Next."

The guy behind her tried to move up, but she stayed in place.

"I'm going to guess a lot. Come on, sir, you've got to let me in."

"No. I don't. Next."

"Oh, well. Your loss."

Without thinking, Tara pushed the man aside and dashed through the small tunnel that led to the Upper Ring.

"Hey! Stop her!" she could hear him yell.

Soon, the sound of running feet came from behind her. Tara sped up as she left the tunnel and began sprinting through the streets. She risked a glance behind her to see two Dai Li agents after her. _Oh, no. Not again._

She swiftly turned down an alleyway and then another as she tried to lose them. It was harder in this ring than it would've been in the other one, though. The Upper Ring had much wider roads and more elegant people walking around who seemed appalled at the chase scene taking place.

Suddenly, one agent had a hold of her arm but one knee to the stomach made him let go. The other agent wasn't far behind and the one closer began to earthbend. _Shoot. Shoot! SHOOT!_ So Tara did the only thing she could think of: firebend.

A second later, the Dai Li agents were shot full of flames. It was enough to faze them and give her time for a getaway. She didn't stop running though, not until she saw the street sign that read the same as the one on the ad. Tara grabbed a hold of the sign and leaned against it, breathing heavily. Great. Now she was probably wanted or something.

She walked down the lane trying to identify the right building. Soon, she found the one that looked correct and made her way to the top floor. Moments later, she was standing in front of the door. She stuffed the ad in her bag and put her fist in knocking position. But some unseen force kept it in the air.

Tara couldn't just knock on the door. What would she say? Hey, remember me? Of course, you don't! Then they would laugh and ask her to come in. Sure. That sounds plausible.

Oh, what was she doing? Spirits. This was ridiculous. She knocked swiftly and then pulled back and began punching the air. Why did she do that? No! Should she run away? No, it was too late now. Oh, spirits, this is bad. So bad.

"Be right there!" a gentle voice called from behind the door.

Huh. That wasn't anybody from the gang. This was a random person's apartment. Except, the voice sounded achingly familiar. Who was that? Suddenly, the door opened, revealing the owner of the voice. Tara smiled. Now it all made sense.

"Tara?" Iroh asked, obviously unsure if it was actually her.

She nodded enthusiastically and the old man's face lit up.

"Please, come in." he said, gesturing the universal signal for 'come in'.

"Actually, I don't think that's the best idea. Isn't Zuko here?"

"Ah, well, it's a bit complicated."

"Uh, is he here or not?"

"I'll explain it to you, if you come in."

She narrowed her eyes, but smiled wider.

"I see how it is."

She took a deep breath and stepped inside. Ooo, this was going to be weird. Zuko will be all like 'Hey, I know you! You're the girl from yesterday and from before too!'

Iroh told her to sit down in their kitchen while he put on a pot of tea. Good old Iroh. You can always rely on him. Tara felt like starting asking questions, but he seemed very concentrated on his tea. She sat patiently playing with her fingers. Finally, he poured two cups. He handed one to her and kept one himself. She took a sip and immedietly felt better.

"So, where's Zuko?" Tara asked.

"He should be waking up soon."

Iroh carefully placed his teacup on the table and grabbed a bucket of water and a ladle. He opened a door near them.

"Stay in this room." He instructed.

She nodded, confused. Iroh went inside and she could hear the sound of the bucket being placed on the ground. Thinking she would still be in this room, Tara stood up and tip-toed to the doors. She opened one door slightly, peered inside, and gasped lightly, bringing a hand to her mouth in shock.

Zuko was lying in the ground with blanket covering him. It was clear he was terribly sick as his forehead was drenched in sweat. Iroh was sitting next to him and he picked up a cloth from the bucket. The prince moaned softly, signaling that he was coming awake. Tara tried to hide herself better as Iroh began talking.

"You're burning up. You have an intense fever." He gently dabbed his nephew's forehead with the wet cloth, "This will help cool you down."

"So thirsty." Zuko said hoarsely as he tried to sit up.

Iroh pushed him back down and brought the ladle of water to his lips.

"Here's some clean water to drink. Stay under the blankets and sweat this out."

Zuko grabbed the ladle from his uncle's hand and drank it greedily. He tossed it away and went for the whole bucket, dumping it over himself and drinking as much as possible. Tara couldn't watch anymore. She shut the door and went back to her seat, completely dazed.

She could hear the clang of the bucket being thrown from the room and his coughing, so she shut her eyes tightly and clamped her hands over her ears. A few minutes later, Iroh emerged back into the kitchen. Tara opened her eyes and removed her hands.

"He's going to be okay, right?" she squeaked.

He looked at her and smiled grimly.

"He'll be fine, but for now he must rest."

"Well, yeah."

She took her teacup from the table and drank a huge gulp, letting the warm herby liquid fall down her throat. Iroh sat next to her and sipped his own cup.

"I don't want to be a problem, Iroh." Tara blurted out all of a sudden.

"Now, now, that's nonsense. You could never be a burden."

"Well, then I want to help… in some way."

"Introducing yourself now would just conflict him further. It is best if we wait until his sickness passes."

"So I can't do _anything_?"

"I could teach you how to make good tea."

She laughed.

"I guess it's something."

Then Iroh adopted a more concerned face.

"Do you have a place to stay?"

"Not right now, no. But I'll find somewhere. I always do."

"Rent is expensive in Ba Sing Se, especially the Upper Ring."

"I have a surprisingly large amount of money."

Tara took out her box and set it on the table. She opened it facing Iroh with a broad smile. He just looked at her worried. She frowned and peered inside. What used to be completely full was now a pile of coins in the corner.

"Well, I used to. Maybe I should've only bought one apple."

"Stay with us, I'm sure Zuko wouldn't mind."

She laughed awkwardly.

"I'm sure he would. I couldn't do that anyway. I'll get a job, it'll be fine."

"You will stay here and help out at the tea shop."

"Really? Oh, thanks, Iroh. You're the best. Wait. You have a tea shop!"

He smiled broadly.

"How else could I afford the Upper Ring? My tea became renown in the Middle Ring. The Jasmine Dragon's grand opening is tomorrow."

"That's so awesome! Sounds like life in Ba Sing Se has been great, except for… you know. Also, I saw Zuko yesterday, actually."

Iroh's eyebrows went up in surprise.

"So that's where you were, with the Dai Li."

"Yeah. He let me out, though I don't think that was his actual intention which makes me wonder what it really was."

He nodded slowly.

"My nephew intended to steal the Avatar's bison. However, he ended up letting it go."

"Zuko? Zuko let Appa go? Are you sure?"

Iroh only nodded again.

"Huh."

Tara soon told him where she had been, but left out the more personal parts. They spoke of where the gang might be but didn't come up with a definite answer. She wanted to search around in her spare time, but Iroh insisted that the Dai Li would be on high alert looking for the firebender that was her.

After that, he went back to tend to Zuko while she tried to fix herself up. She found a mirror in Iroh's room. When she came back to the kitchen, her hair was again pulled back in a smooth braid and her outfit was clean and neat. Her face was even free of dirt.

Iroh was already putting on a new pot.

"How's Zuko?" she asked.

"Not much better, I'm afraid."

He poured some tea into her cup and handed it to her. He poured another and went back to Zuko's room. Tara went to her spot by the door and cracked it open. The prince was just waking up and Iroh helped him drink his tea.

"You should know that this is not a natural sickness." The old man told him, "But that shouldn't stop you from enjoying tea."

Tara smiled slightly at the tea reference but at the same time was confused. Not a natural sickness?

"What-what's happening?" Zuko asked weakly.

"Your critical decision; what you did beneath that lake…it was in such conflict with your image of yourself that you are now at war within your own mind and body."

"What's that mean?"

Suddenly, Zuko collapsed into a coughing fit. Tara winced at the sight.

"You're going through a metamorphosis, my nephew. It will not be a pleasant experience, but when you come out of it you will be the beautiful prince you were always meant to be."

So this was a spiritual thing. Of course, Iroh would understand that. Yes. This would show Sokka. Zuko was going to be good now. Everything is going to be awesome from now on, she was sure of it. Then again, the last time she thought that she was taken by Long Feng.

Iroh went into Zuko's room for the rest of the night to stand by and make sure he was okay. That left Tara alone in the kitchen with a quickly cooling teacup. She twisted her wrist, making the tea swirl around. Life was so weird. She felt like she should be doing something. After being under Lake Laogai for who knows how long doing absolutely nothing… well, she was feeling a little hyperactive.

So she spent her time perfecting her tea-making skills. Tara took a big swig of her own cup and swished it around in her mouth, trying hard to pick out different herbs. Yeah. It didn't really work. Still, she was determined. She found an extra pot and all of Iroh's herbs and spices. Then began the experiment.

Tara tried brew after brew of different combinations. At first they tasted absolutely disgusting, but after a while they were semi-good, but certainly not Iroh standard. Finally, she came upon the perfect cup, or at least the one that matched her two cups made by Iroh earlier. Now she just had to figure out the other kinds of tea.

Suddenly, a loud-ish yell came from the other room. In the blink of an eye, Tara had set her cup down and was peeking inside Zuko's room. He was sitting up and Iroh seemed to be asleep in a sitting position. The prince touched two fingers to his scar and sighed. Tara bit her lip and made a decision.

She grabbed a new cup, poured her tea into it, and walked briskly into Zuko's room.

"Who are you?" he asked, alarm filling his weak voice.

"I'm a friend." She stated as she sat down opposite Iroh.

He blinked a few times before realization dawned.

"You're that girl from yesterday. You called yourself… the Fire Lily."

"Yeah. Here, try my tea."

He looked at her a few more moments before gingerly taking the cup from her hand. She felt like she should help him or something, but the prince seemed a lot stronger than before. Zuko sipped the tea and looked like he was really thinking about it. He sipped again.

"Tastes sort of like my uncle's." he finally commented.

"Yes!" Tara whisper-yelled as she took the cup back, "That's what I was going for. It took me forever to copy it. Uh, let me explain. I'm gonna work at The Jasmine Dragon. I don't want to make any tea that doesn't hold up to the good name of Iroh, or Mushie. That _is _his cover name, right? It's pretty funny."

"Who _are _you?"

"Uh, I'll explain when you're better. As for now, just sleep."

She stood up but Zuko grabbed onto her arm.

"What's your real name?"

"The Fire Lily, but _you _can call me Lily."

She turned and left the room, but not before she saw Zuko smile, if ever so slightly. He didn't seem to be conflicted. Tara hoped Iroh wouldn't be mad. It felt weird talking to Zuko, but it was a good weird. The prince didn't look like he remembered her as that girl he saw a few times before and that one time where he fixed up her arm. That mysterious girl was in his past. At the present, there was only the strange Fire Lily, who he was allowed to call Lily.

It was a slip of the tongue that made her say the Fire Lily the day before instead of her now usual cover name, which was just Lily. Tara found, however, that she liked her mistake. Maybe it was a bit selfish, but she enjoyed being the subject of mystery. Wouldn't anybody? Was that so wrong?

She started thinking and decided that her advice to Zuko sounded nice to her too. Iroh was already sleeping. Tara found an extra blanket in Iroh's room and curled up on the kitchen rug with it. A moment later, she was fast asleep.

When she awoke, it was early. Too early, in her opinion. No one else was awake yet, so she decided to go outside to try to find the gang. Tara found a piece of scrap paper and a pencil and wrote a note saying she went out for a morning walk. She signed it the Fire Lily and hoped Iroh would catch on.

Once outside, she headed towards the royal palace, convinced that it was her best lead. The sky was nice and blue in that early morning way and the air was cool and refreshing. No doubt, it would be hotter later on. There weren't too many people out; the snotty rich people wouldn't dare wake so early. Only the merchants were on the streets, setting up their stands.

Tara could see the humongous palace over the roofs of the other buildings and made her way there at a leisurely pace. Finally, she found the long plaza that led to the stairs that eventually led to the palace. There she found Sokka packing some bags on top of Appa. Along the edge of the plaza were royal guards but she dismissed them, praying that they wouldn't think anything of her presence if Sokka accepted her.

And he did.

"Tara! I was beginning to think I wouldn't see you before we left." He said happily as they sat down in front of Appa.

She gently petted the Sky Bison's cheek, though she was actually thinking.

"Hey, Sokka. Yeah, here I am. Uh, where are you going? Are we really leaving already?"

"We're all kind of splitting up, but only for a little bit. I'm going to visit my dad. Aang's going to see a Guru about his Avatar State. Toph's meeting her mom somewhere in the city, and Katara is staying behind to oversee the plans for the invasion."

"Whoa. Alright then. I guess I'll stay behind too."

"Sure, but where are you going to stay? Maybe it'd be better if you just followed me. I heard you got a Vulture-Griffin."

Tara just looked at him, unsure of how to start.

"Yeah, well, actually I've already got myself a job and an apartment here in the Upper Ring. But-,"

"What? How did you manage that?"

"Well-,"

"Where did you get the money for the Upper Ring? How did you get a _job_?"

"I appreciate your faith in me, Sokka."

"What am I supposed to think?"

"Alright, here's the truth. I'm roommates with Iroh and Zuko _and _Iroh even got me a job at his new tea shop in the Upper Ring. We're tight."

"They're dangerous, Tara. Don't go back there."

"You barely know them, Sokka. You don't know a lot. Iroh was never really bad and Zuko is just conflicted."

"No, Tara. No way."

"You don't know anything about what's happened. This is what the spirits want."

"What?"

"I know you don't really believe in that stuff, but it's true. Look!"

She took out the ad for their apartment and shoved it in the warrior's hands. He glared at her for a moment before turning to the paper. He seemed to read it over and then look back at her.

"So?"

"That's Iroh and Zuko's place."

"And?"

"Back when we were at the library, one of those fox things gave the ad to me. When I escaped Lake Laogai I headed straight there. I thought it was your place, but it was their's. Don't you see, Sokka? It's a sign!"

"It's a coincidence."

"Well, it doesn't matter what you think, anyway. I'm going to stay with them until the group is back together and everyone leaves Ba Sing Se together! Okay?"

"Fine. I'm not in charge of you. I'm just saying what I think is best. Maybe you should listen."

"I'm not going to. I'm sorry, Sokka."

He stood up at the same time she did. They glared at each other for a few moments before Sokka broke the silence with two simple words that all but broke her heart.

"You changed."

She took a deep breath and spit out the first comeback that came to mind.

"Maybe it's about time."

He sighed sadly.

"You changed your hair."

"It's easier to handle this way."

"And your outfit."

"Normal girls would do that."

"You're not a normal girl."

"I should've been!

"You wouldn't be able to stand it."

"You don't know that!"

"I know there's a lot I don't know, but I think I know that a regular life never suited you. And it never will. What happened while you were gone?"

Simple as that, Sokka's caring voice broke her down. It always did. He brought it on so suddenly. It was usually just hiding behind his regular sarcastic manner but there was more to the warrior than most people thought. He really did get to know you.

Tara knew how well he knew her. She really did. She knew how much he cared and how he must've missed her. She missed him. So they sat back down and she told him everything, from her kidnapping by the sandbenders to coming to meet him just now. There was only one thing she left out, and it filled her up with guilt for doing so.

She didn't say a word about Suki or the Kyoshi Warriors. Tara would tell him, one day. She just didn't want him angry again. She didn't want him so worried when he was about to go see his dad who he must miss so very much. For that section of the story, she simply said:

"At that point, I finally gained Appa's trust enough to fix him all up. I got rid of all the brambles and stuff and the chains. Then I ran into Azula, Mai, and Tai Lee. They always manage to follow Appa's furry trail. It was a pretty narrow escape."

Tara felt even more terrible when he seemed to believe every word she said. She could tell how much he felt bad for her, which of course just fed her guilt. Afterwords, he looked deep in thought.

"What do you think the creepy girl meant when you were leaving the circus?" Sokka asked.

"I don't know. It was weird."

"You said you thought it sounded like a prophecy."

"At the time. Now It just sounds like babbling. I mean Burijji _was_ pretty coo-koo."

"It talked about a lily, and that was your stage name _and _the name you gave Zuko. Maybe there's some truth to it."

"Wait a second. This is coming from the guy who will never ever admit that anything spiritual is real?"

"Well, I've decided that after all of these months traveling with the Avatar, I should start considering those options at least."

"Oh, at _least_."

"You know what? I think I should really be getting back. They're going to come looking for me soon. Or they're going to come outside and have a lot questions."

"Alright, you convinced me. But we're continuing this conversation when you get back."

Sokka laughed before they said their goodbyes, hugged briefly, and went their separate ways.

**This was basically a setter-upper for the next one… which is more important and provides super awesome relationship detail. But if you're one for the intense action-y chapters these two might not exactly be your thing. But they are extremely important, so read them! **

**I'm happy with this chapter. I like the Sokka scene and I can't wait for more Zuzu! Did you? Cause if you did, or maybe you didn't, or perhaps you enjoyed something else, or even if you hated absolutely everything… please review!**

**Presenting a super special shout-out to **_Sokka is my main man D_** (btw, love the name). Congrats! Your review made me jump up and down in a happy manner! I absolutely loved everything you said! Tara feels real? Like really real? Awesome! Yeah, people who read this either like or dislike the canon thing. But that's just their opinion cause people like different things. YAY! YAY! The fact that you went into withdrawal makes me happy… sorry. But here is your cure! But, HA, I just snatched it away again. Hopefully, it shouldn't be too long until the next chapter. I originally was going to put them into one but I figured you would've rather had this smaller dose of awesomeness than waiting longer for more.**

**Alright. I've talked long enough. Please review! I greatly appreciate any! I welcome all constructive criticism! Thank you to all readers! And… goodbye! 3**


	15. The Guru

**To the fluff!**

The Guru

Tara headed back to the apartment after her talk with Sokka, feeling newly empowered. Things were getting so much better. Yes, she would definitely miss Sokka while he was visiting his dad, but she had Iroh and Zuko to keep her company now. Speaking of the prince, she hoped he was over his sickness. He seemed to be getting better last time she saw him. Then again, it's not too common for a fever like he had to go away that quickly.

But as she opened the front door, Tara saw him gazing out the kitchen window while enjoying a bowl of… something. She also spied Iroh mixing a pot on the stove. Adopting a big smile, she walked inside.

"Good morning, everyone!" she greeted.

"Ah, good morning… Lily." Iroh replied, sounding a bit skeptical about using the fake name.

Inside though, Tara was relieved that he obliged to her request. So he obviously read the note too. Meanwhile, Zuko looked astounded at her appearance. He probably thought he saw her in a dream or something.

"Oh, uh, hi." He said simply.

Tara placed her bag on the floor near the doorway and walked over to Iroh.

"What cha' cookin'?" she asked.

"Jook. Would you like a bowl?"

"Actually, yeah, I'm starving."

Iroh poured a bowl for her and, after thanking him, she kneeled next to Zuko.

"I'm glad you're better." Tara told the prince, trying to fill the awkward space.

"Yeah."

Tara sipped her jook absentmindedly and tried to think of ways to continue the conversation.

"So you've met our new roommate, Zuko." Iroh said, lifting the weight off her shoulders.

"Yeah." He took a gulp of his breakfast and set the bowl on the floor. "Can I talk to you for a second, Uncle?"

"Of course."

The pair went into Zuko's room, no doubt to talk about her. So, naturally, Tara snuck over to the door and placed her ear firmly against the wood.

"She's really staying with us?" she could hear Zuko ask, "And working at your tea shop?"

"Yes, Zuko. We can't run the whole shop by ourselves and she needed a place to stay. She's even perfectly content with the kitchen floor. She'll be working for her rent and a little bit of extra money too. Lily's a very nice girl, Zuko. I'm sure you'll like her."

"How did you meet her?"

"We just bumped into each other. It was lucky, really."

"Well, I met her two days ago at the Dai Li headquarters. She was being held prisoner there. She could be dangerous."

"Hmm. Do you know how she escaped?"

It was silent for a moment before Tara heard his answer.

"I let her go. She seemed desperate to leave."

"I suppose anybody would. I'm sure she was just wrongly accused as are many people these days. Why do you think the Avatar's bison was there? In fact, she was probably caught for talking about the war. She's a real fighter, Zuko. That much I can tell."

"I still don't think this is a good idea. Isn't she," he dropped into a whisper, "Fire Nation?"

"Yes, but so are we."

"I know! If she gets caught, we're next."

"I doubt she will be caught. Now let's just stop talking about it. We have to get ready for the grand opening."

"Fine. It's your apartment, in the end, after all."

"Just give Lily a chance. She must have a story just like yours. The difference is she seems to have no one left while you still have me."

Tara blinked at his words but quickly scrambled up when she heard footsteps coming closer. She was back in her kneeling position, sipping jook, when they came back inside.

"Have a nice talk?" she asked innocently.

Zuko didn't say anything.

"Yes. It was very nice." Iroh responded, "I believe we should be heading to the Jasmine Dragon now. We have to set up before it opens."

Tara smiled and gulped down the remainder of her jook before standing up enthusiastically.

"Awesome. Is what I'm wearing okay? Do we have uniforms or something?" she asked.

"What you're wearing is perfectly fine. I'll pack up some stuff we need from here. It shouldn't take more than five minutes. Why don't you two get to know each other?"

"Uh, okay." They both said at the same time.

They exchanged a slightly amused glance. Tara brought her hand to her ear without thinking, as if grabbing for her old earring. She brought it back down to her side after she realized that she wasn't wearing her earrings. Huh. She hadn't done that in a while.

Tara always used to play with her earrings when she was nervous. She hadn't done so since she could still fit in her Fire Nation outfit as a little girl only just getting used to the South Pole.

So instead of doing that, she blushed profusely. Tara laughed nervously.

"I need to go fix my hair quick." She suddenly said way too fast.

So much for getting to know each other. She practically bolted into Iroh's room to the mirror. She was breathing very strangely as she tightened her braid as best she could. She looked at her reflection closely. It was missing something.

Oh. Now she knew. She needed a flower.

After convincing herself she was normal again, Tara walked back to the kitchen.

"Are there any flowers around here I could borrow, by any chance?" she asked hopefully.

"No, I don't think so." Iroh replied as he carefully placed a teapot into a basket.

She shrugged.

"Oh, well."

A minute or two later, they were walking down the street on their way to the Jasmine Dragon. Soon, they turned a corner and Tara gasped as she saw the building that proudly displayed the Jasmine Dragon sign.

"Wow, Iroh, that's a pretty awesome tea shop." She said simply.

The old man was smiling broadly as he nodded. Zuko was smiling too. Tara felt it was sort of strange to see the prince like he was. Maybe it was how he was meant to be, or whatever, but it was just eerie. It just… wasn't right. Instantly, she felt bad about thinking so. It was selfish to think that him being happy wasn't right. It still didn't change that deep gut feeling, though.

They ascended the stairs, passed the fancy fountain, and approached the door. Iroh took out a key and unlocked it, still smiling largely. Once inside, she saw it was already filled with elegant wooden tables and chairs. There was a small walkway leading to the kitchen where a beautiful rug lay, featuring a golden dragon design with an emerald backdrop.

Iroh placed his basket on a small white table by the kitchen and began unpacking the pot and cups.

"This place looks great, Uncle." Zuko commented happily.

"It'll look even better filled with happy people." Iroh replied.

"I think it already is." Tara said, "Anything I can help with now?"

"It looks mostly ready except for this stuff. Thank you, though."

"Okay. What should I do when we open?"

"You can help me brew in the kitchen. Zuko, you'll be head waiter."

"Sounds good." Zuko and Tara said in unison… again.

She blushed more and wouldn't dare look at the prince. Spirits, this was weird. There was a half-hour before the shop opened and she had nothing to do. So she sucked it up and sat at a table where Zuko was sitting also. He looked at her for a moment.

"You said you'd explain who you are now." He finally spoke.

Darn. She hoped he would let that go.

"Did I? I don't really remember."

"You did."

He wasn't letting this go.

"Do you want me to tell my whole life story?"

"No."

What? No one ever said no. They always expected everything. Huh. It feels like she had told many people many versions. That's going to catch up with her someday.

"Well, then what do you want to know?"

He seemed to contemplate that for a second.

"Why did you leave the Fire Nation?"

She swallowed.

"My mother died. My father left and he brought me with him."

"Why did he leave?"

"We were broke. We lost everything. He had to join the army."

"You wouldn't be able to join him though."

"Tell that to my father. I was hidden in the ship's storage room for a year. I was eight. Eventually, I ran away and I've been alone ever since."

"I'm sorry."

"It's not like it's you're fault. I never got why people always said that."

"I guess it's because they don't know what else to say."

"Yeah. I guess."

She sighed.

"Alright, now we're all sad." She said, her tone brightening, "Let's get all happy and excited again!"

"Just one last question, Lily."

She bit her lip.

"Okay. One more. And make it an easy one."

"What side are you on?"

"The right side. I'm with the Avatar."

He nodded.

They sat in silence for the remainder of the time. It wasn't an awkward silence, though. It was more 'our pasts may suck but now we're okay and we've got each other so let's make the best of it' silence. Because Tara was sure he was thinking that too. Somewhere in his subconscious, at least.

A few minutes before opening, the other waiters showed up and everybody prepared for the opening. When it did, people seemed to rush in. Iroh told her what to do and put her on solo tea duty while he, as the owner, greeted the first customers.

Tara found it was easier to make tea when she knew what she was doing. She swore she had a mishap or two but no one complained. Eventually, Iroh joined her and showed her how to make it even better. As they brewed, they talked.

"When do you plan to tell Zuko your true identity?" he asked as he set another pot on the stove.

"I don't know. It's only the first day." She responded, dropping a pinch of herbs into a pot.

"I respect your decision, Tara." He continued, taking a test sip, "But you must know that the longer you keep the lie going, the worse it will be when you tell him."

"Yeah, well," she mixed the newest brew, "I've got a lot of lies going right now. I can handle one more."

"I'm not sure if my nephew can." He poured a pot into an array of cups on a tray and placed in on the counter, "Five more lychee!"

"I'm sorry that I'm dragging you guys into my complicated life, Iroh. I really am." She adjusted the flame slightly.

"It doesn't have to be so complicated. Haven't you ever thought about just telling everyone everything?" He took a teaspoon of spices.

"Of course, but I always go against it. I'm just afraid of what will happen, I guess." She tested one pot and threw a pinch more herbs in it.

"There will come a day when you will have to face your fears, no matter what." Iroh stated as he gave her a tray of full cups, "That day can be today, tomorrow, or months from now. It is up to you."

He looked at her sadly for a few moments.

"Five jasmine." She croaked nervously but then cleared her throat, "Lee, five jasmine!"

"Got it, Lily." Zuko took the tray from her from across the counter and quickly went back into the mass of tables and guests.

"He trusts you." Iroh commented as he went back to brewing.

Tara snorted while stirring a pot.

"I don't think so."

"Maybe it doesn't seem like it, but he has recently changed, as you know. He wants to trust you, but his mind is telling him otherwise. I suggest you prove him wrong."

Tara kept stirring the herby mixture, staring at it as it swirled. She wanted to say something back, defend herself. But she couldn't think of anything smart to say, nothing at all. Maybe Iroh had a point, yet it didn't change anything. This was just something that she had to do.

At that precise moment, she turned from her stirring to see a young man, about twenty, standing across the counter. He wore ordinary Upper Ring clothing with many shades of green. His chocolaty brown hair just brushed the tops of his ears and brought out his hazel eyes.

He stopped awkwardly tapping his finger on the counter when Tara spotted him. He smiled at her, revealing almost perfect white teeth. He reached out a hand to shake, which she did although skeptical.

"Can I help you with something?" she asked.

"Sure. Actually, that'd be great." He said rather enthusiastically, "My name's Ceol."

"Great. I'm Lily."

"Cool. This is an awesome shop you've got here."

She laughed.

"It's not mine. It's my friend Iroh's. He's right back here."

Tara gestured to the old man behind her who was still deeply concentrating on his tea.

"Oh. I see. Well, me and my friends think this place could use some late night entertainment."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm in a band. We're the Wandering Sparrowkeets. Maybe your friend would be interested in our music, huh?"

"Sounds cool. I'd love to relay the message. What type of music do you perform?"

"Oh, we can do all types but we're known for the kind you can really dance to. The words are pretty amazing too."

"Yeah, I love the words." _This guy's not too bright._ "You said you were known?"

"Uh… yeah. We're pretty well-known."

"Where have you performed before?"

"You know… some places around town… the Upper Ring."

"Of course, of course. You do know this is a _tea _shop, right?"

"Well, yeah, but we figured that, together, we could turn it into a rockin' tea shop."

"Okay… well, you never know. Where could I find you, if we decide to hire you on some night?"

Tara grabbed a napkin from nearby and a pencil that was lying around. She prepared to write the information that followed.

"Oh, my address is 429 Bacui Boulevard,"

"Cool, than-,"

"Upper Ring, Ba Sing Se,"

"That's eno-,"

"Earth Kingdom."

She looked at him for a second.

"It was nice to meet you, Ceol."

"You too, Lil."

"You just call me Lily."

"Okay. I'll see you later."

"Yeah."

He smiled awkwardly, scratched the back of his neck, and turned to leave. At the door, Ceol turned back and waved at her, a shy smile on his face. That was strange.

Tara folded up the napkin unto a tiny bit of paper and stuck it in between her ribbon belt and robe. Then she turned back to the kitchen, but not before she spotted Zuko stopped in the middle of handing someone a cup, staring at her wearing an obvious expression of disapproval.

Without a second thought, she went back to making tea and lost herself in the smell of herbs. Things went by fast after that. There was some "I need three more green!" and "I said four jasmine, not _six_!". But mostly it was the swirl of the brew, the heat of the burner, and the feel of the spices in between her fingers.

At some point, she dropped a small container of herbs. After a mini freak-out moment, Tara realized there was only a small pile of dropped spices on the ground. Plus, it wasn't like Iroh was mad. In fact, he laughed good-humoredly and just said to make sure to clean it up.

So she grabbed a handful of napkins and set about attempting to pick up every last grain. She was humming as she did so and the chatter of guests made the tea shop fairly loud, so it was weird when one distinct voice suddenly stood out against the noise.

"Table for two, please." Katara must've told the host at the front.

Tara froze mid-pickup and strained to hear who the other person was.

"Uncle," Zuko called out, "I need two jasmine, one green, and one lychee!"

_No, no! Stop calling attention to yourself!_

"I'm brewing as fast as I can!" Iroh returned.

_Come on!_ Tara dared to sit up and peek over the counter just in time to see Katara running down the front steps, Momo clutching onto her shoulder. Well, this wasn't good.

"Iroh, Iroh, Iroh," she said over and over again in panic while staring at where the waterbender was.

"Yes, Tara?" he asked, somehow managing not to get annoyed.

"Katara totally just came in, saw you two, freaked out, and ran away, no doubt going to tell the Earth King you are out to, like, kill everyone."

"Hmm. That doesn't sound very good. We can only hope that nothing will come of it."

Tara finally turned away to look at him in shock.

"What?"

"By doing anything, we would be exposing ourselves."

"Well, not if we do it stealthily."

"It's a bad idea, Tara. I don't think we should do anything about it."

She moaned in frustration and banged her head against the counter lightly. He was probably right. You don't deny a wise old man like Iroh. Yet, only earlier today she was doing that exact thing.

With a sigh, she went back to cleaning up the herb spill. When that was finished, she went back into the rut of brewing tea. Hours later, the last guest left. Tara was clearing up a table near the corner as was Iroh by the entrance and Zuko was sweeping the carpet on the middle aisle. Suddenly, a man in official-looking clothes approached Iroh.

"A message from the royal palace." He stated with a head bow as he handed him a scroll.

Tara swallowed nervously and she could tell the old man was worried too. But as he read it, his eyes seemed to change from concern to excitement.

"I-I can't believe it." He said in shock.

Zuko walked over to him.

"What is it, Uncle?" the prince asked, looking over his shoulder.

"Great news!" Iroh exclaimed, "We've been invited to serve tea to the Earth King!"

As the messenger left, the old man dashed towards the kitchen. Tara watched as Zuko merely smiled and returned to sweeping.

"We'll have to prepare the tea here first." Iroh began as he went through the supplies, "I guess we should bring every kind, too. Do you think they'll let us use the royal china? Maybe we should take our own cups along."

She gathered up the used cups on the table and began walking back to the kitchen with them.

"We should celebrate." She stated matter-of-factly.

"What could we do?" Iroh asked.

Tara placed the cups in the sink to be washed and pulled out the napkin with Ceol's address.

"This guy asked about his band playing here sometime. We could have a little random dance party. Right here. Right now."

"How would we do that?" Iroh said, sounding genuinely into the idea.

"Well, we could open up late, send the word around the area; I'm sure people will show up. Everyone will be dancing so they'll get thirsty and we'll sell more tea to make up for the small amount we'll have to pay the band. We can make the tea before hand and warm it up a bit once in a while. People can just get their cups themselves. It'll be fun!"

"I don't know." Zuko commented.

"I think it's a great idea. I miss music night." Iroh said enthusiastically.

"Yes! Okay, um, Zuko, you can spread the word. Iroh, you can start brewing and I'll deal with the band."

"No, I can get the music." The prince demanded, "Where's the address?"

"Uh, okay. I'm not sure it matters who does what but, here it is."

Tara handed him the napkin and then they all set out on their mission. She walked around the area and found some people. She told them about the 'like, super awesome music and tea. Plus, there'll totally be dancing'. The few people she found were about her age so they seemed interested. They assured her they'd tell their friends, too. Tara wasn't sure if they were lying or not, though.

It was about twenty minutes later when she arrived back at the Jasmine Dragon. The Wandering Sparrowkeets looked like they were just about finished setting up their instruments, which seemed to range from a collection of drums to a Tsungi horn. Zuko had cleared out one half of the shop and had simply put all of the excess tables and chair onto the other half, making it completely impossible to maneuver around that part.

A few people had already showed up and were anxiously awaiting the start of music by drinking the tea Iroh had made and displayed on a single table near the entrance. Other late-night partiers were still streaming inside. Tara approached Zuko, who was leaning against a table by the filled up side.

"Looks like we're going to be the best party going on tonight, huh?" she said casually.

"If the band sounds like they say it does." He replied sounding serious but wearing a smirk that must mean he was joking.

Weird. Tara didn't think she had ever heard him joke around before. Or laugh, for that matter. She_ still_ hadn't heard him laugh.

"I think it will. Everybody needs their big break."

"Yeah, years from now they'll be saying how their first big gig was in a tea shop."

"And their children will be so proud."

He smiled broadly as she laughed. Suddenly, a voice yelled over the crowd.

"How is everybody out here tonight?" Ceol cried out.

The crowd cheered and whistled, signaling their happiness.

"We've got some great music for all of you! I wanna see some dancing!" More cheering followed, "Now before we start our first song I've got to shout out to our great host, Iroh! Yeah! Thanks for the awesome tea, old dude!"

"My pleasure!" he called back, which made Tara smile even broader.

A moment later, the music started. The surprisingly nice upbeat song made everybody begin dancing, laughing and cheering the whole time. She actually found herself tapping her foot. Tara turned towards Zuko and grabbed his arm, pulling him onto the dance floor.

"Whoa." The prince said as he pulled away, "What are you doing?"

Tara sighed, feeling slightly embarrassed.

"Well, the music has started so I naturally assumed we would dance now."

"I don't dance."

"Why not?"

"I just don't."

"What, just because you think you're so tough that means you can't enjoy a little dancing?"

He looked like a mixture between frustrated and amused.

"I just don't dance, okay?"

Disappointment rushed inside her as she realized that he wasn't giving in.

"Fine. Whatever. I'll just find somebody else."

"Fine."

Tara all but stomped onto the dance floor. She began to dance, though awkwardly, just to show him that she was totally having fun without him. She probably looked really weird all by herself while the other people were either in huddles or twosomes. Yet here she was, jamming it out all alone.

The first song ended and a new one started. This one was smoother but still had that nice-to-dance-to vibe. To Tara's surprise, she suddenly felt a light tap on her shoulder. She turned around to see a rather handsome Earth Kingdom guy. He had a beaming smile and bright green eyes that stood out nicely against the dark brown tunic he was wearing. His hair was dirty blond and cropped short.

"You wanna dance?" he asked, his voice kind of deep.

"Uh, sure." She returned, a bit uncertain.

Did she know this guy? _Should_ she know this guy? Nah. She didn't think so. Tara placed her hands on his shoulders as he placed his on her waist. Immediately, they went this way and that in a walk that could only be described as trotting. The guy seemed fairly nervous which kind of confused her. What was his deal?

Once that song ended, he left and went back to his group, leaving her all alone again. That is until a different guy asked to dance. So Tara did as asked and slowly began to really enjoy herself. After the fourth or fifth guy, she noticed some other girls eyeing her with anger. That was when it hit her.

She was the life of the party. When she first began her crazy dancing by herself, she wasn't the weirdo that everyone took one big step away from. She was suddenly interesting and every guy wanted to dance with her. Plus, she was fairly foreign-looking.

Maybe Tara should've been creeped out. Maybe she should tell them back off. Maybe she should do something. But honestly, she loved being center of attention. She loved the look of envy in every girl's eye. Yeah. This was fun. And what was wrong with that?

Not long after realizing this, Ceol took a personal trip into the audience to see her.

"Hey, Lil. Wanna dance?" he asked casually, "But I must warn you, this means the next song won't have any lyrics without me there to sing them."

"Aw, that's okay. I like instrumentals anyway."

Actually, she thoroughly despised instrumentals. They really annoyed her. But Tara didn't feel like crushing his hopes. So they started dancing to the new song, which just happened to be a slow one. Perhaps this had something to do with Ceol dancing with her. Hmm. Suspicious.

As they danced, they began to talk. This was sort of strange, as the other guys barely said a word to her besides the exchange of names.

"I've never seen Earth Kingdom dancing like that." He commented.

"Well, I'm new in Ba Sing Se. This is probably some type from one of the coastal towns. You know, cause that's where I'm from."

"Oh, right. Well, I could teach you some fresh new moves from around here."

"Uh, okay. Go ahead, maestro."

"What?"

"Never mind, just show me."

"Alright, follow my lead."

Ceol took her a step here, and then there. There was a little twirl and sort of a mini dip. Tara wasn't sure how different it was from whatever kind of dancing she did, but she didn't say anything. He was obviously enjoying teaching her. At some point, she stumbled and stepped on his toe.

"Sorry, sorry!" she said, laughing.

"That's fine, really!" he returned, smiling.

And then they couldn't stop laughing together and they went one way and then another. It was weird and strange and… lovely.

Suddenly, in the middle of the song, a hand grabbed her arm and pulled her away.

"Hey!" she stated, especially when she saw it was Zuko.

"I want to dance now." He said simply.

"A little too late, don't you think?"

"Hey, man, I was dancing with Lily!" Ceol demanded, "What's your problem?"

"She asked me first." The prince replied calmly.

"You rejected me!"

"Well, I take it back."

"What?" the singer exclaimed.

"You said you don't dance!"

"I changed my mind."

"You can't do that, Zu-Lee!"

"Your name is Zu-Lee?" Ceol laughed.

"It's Lee!" the firebenders yelled in unison.

And then they were all just standing there, breathing heavily from yelling in the middle of happy dancing people. The singer sighed.

"Listen, did you guys break up or something?"

"No!" they cried together.

"Must've been a tough break-up."

"No!"

"We were never together!"

"Sorry, Lil, I don't want to get into all this drama. I better go finish this gig."

She watched him leave frustrated but not without a single yell of 'It's Lily!' after him. Tara turned to face Zuko.

"Why?" she asked simply.

"Why what?"

"Ugh! Did you seriously just say that?"

"He wasn't right for you, anyway."

"You just met me! What are you, my older brother?"

"No. I just wanted to dance now."

"You couldn't have waited until the end of the song? I mean, that was _so_ rude!"

"Do you want to dance or not?"

"What?"

It was such a stupid question that he had asked. A really stupid one to ask right then. But there was a simple answer.

"Okay." She replied quietly.

He smiled in his victory.

"Don't look so happy." She told him.

His smile didn't even waver and one of her own formed on her face. She cautiously placed her hands on his shoulder and he put his even more cautiously on her waist. When they began dancing, Tara's heart leapt and it felt different than it had with the other guys. It was a good different.

She should be angry with him. She should be so outraged. Yet, she couldn't stop smiling. They didn't talk. They didn't have to. The smooth way their feet stepped around each other said it. The sweet amusing way they stared in each other's eyes said it. The soft nervous way their hands rested on each other said it.

It had been approximately twenty-four hours or so since they had truly met and she had suddenly decided that she liked him. Like, really liked him. And the feeling seemed mutual.

The rest of the night was spent dancing with Zuko. The other guys seemed to have forgotten about her, but it didn't matter to her. All of a sudden, the prince was everything. His shaggy black hair looked adorable and his deep amber eyes seemed so meaningful. Those eyes had seen so much pain and sorrow. Tara had finally found someone who shared her sadness, somewhat.

When she saw his scar now, instead of seeing anger and hatred aimed at taking down the only hope in the world, she saw the pain of what must be an awful memory and how he had struggled to push it away and make a better life.

At some points during the night, they would stop for a tea break. Leaning against a tea shop wall, they sipped from their cups and took in the herby warmth of the beverage. But they never left each other's gaze.

Tara suddenly thought of an idea. They should get away from the loud party. So she took his arm and led him outside. She dragged him through the circular arch and to the backside of the shop where she had seen a ladder resting against the wall. She climbed up the rungs, Zuko at her heels. Once she made it to the top, she scooted to the side.

The roof was slanted, but there was a ridge at the edge that kept them from sliding off. By that time, the sky was pitch black and the moon was at the center of it. They laid on their backs and stared at the endless sea of stars.

"There were a lot more in the country." Tara commented.

"Yeah. I guess it's all the lights."

"Probably."

Slowly, their hands began to drift closer and closer until they were holding each other's. She noticed how rough they were, but it was a nice kind rough. She knew they were like that because of hard work, just like hers were apparently rougher than a girl's 'should' be. All of a sudden, though, other people's opinions didn't matter. Tara was blissfully happy, staring at the night sky grasping Zuko's hand.

And then they began talking. It was mostly about what they loved about the Fire Nation. She told him how she missed the warm weather and beautiful green plants. She spoke of what she remembered about her town, a quaint little inn, a local market where everyone knew one another, and a field of flowers nearby that she recalled playing in as a child.

He mostly listened to her stories, and she knew he was because of the way he gazed intently at her. He was smiling. She loved it when he smiled. It seemed like a rare moment that she wanted to capture forever. A few times, though, he would tell a short story about his childhood, before his life was turned upside down. It usually included his mother or his uncle.

Tara felt the urge to ask where his mother was, as she had never heard of the Fire Lady, but felt an unsaid feeling of sadness beneath his words when he spoke of her. She decided something must've happened, and moved on. After all, they had all the time in the world to talk now. There was the whole summer through the invasion to get to know each other. Tara wasn't sure which side Zuko thought himself to be on, but she had this gut feeling that he was with her. He had to be on their side.

She wasn't sure how long it had been since they left the party when she began to feel tired.

"We should probably go back to the apartment and get some sleep." Tara told him with a yawn, "You and Iroh have a big day tomorrow."

"You're not coming to serve tea to the Earth King with us?" he asked, slight disappointment shining in his eyes.

"No. I have someone I need to visit."

She sat up and prepared to descend to the ground.

"Wait." Zuko stated.

Tara started to ask why when suddenly, the prince pulled her into a kiss. It was weird at first, like an 'Oh my gosh, someone's lips are on mine' moment. Then it turned into a warm fuzzy feeling inside her stomach, which she realized were some kind of happy nerves. A thought hit her just then, as they do.

This was her very first kiss. Sure, there had been mother kisses and father kisses, even a Sokka kiss on the cheek occasionally, but this was her first real one. She tried not to let it get to her, though. She focused on the happiness welling up inside.

And then, just like that, the pair pulled apart. It had lasted barely seven seconds, but it had felt like an eternity. They smiled shyly at each other before Tara went down the ladder followed by the prince. As they walked back to the party to help clean up, hands held, two thoughts rose to the surface of her brain.

One: That like-like feeling she had for Zuko? Yeah. It was mutual.

Two: Sokka would absolutely not approve. Yet somehow, that was okay.

**AHHHH! Fluff completed! Was that a surprise to anyone? Seriously, was it? I'm not sure. Did it happen too fast? I'm so nervous. While I like the intense action stuff better, this fluff was actually a joy to write. I'm just not so sure if I wrote Zuko well enough. *sigh* I love him so much. And so does Tara…**

**Next up is Crossroads! I adore that episode. It'll be epic, promise. Then I have *thinking* many chapters to go. I'm really nervous about my self-made deadline, Valentine's Day. I'm not sure if I can finish it in time. I have this countdown in my room of how many days I have left to write *more thinking* ten chapters. **

**Whoa. That's like ten chapters in three weeks, three in the first two and then four in the last one. I have to get writing…**

**Please review! Perhaps that will make me write faster, hint hint. Actually, I'll be writing a bunch anyway, but reviews will make me so happy and full of confidence! I accept constructive criticism too! I want to make the end as epic as possible! **

**In conclusion, ten chapters to go, three weeks to do it, and I would love reviews. Thanks to all my dedicated readers and the ones that check in occasionally because you have nothing better to do (I know you're out there!)! 3 3 3 **


	16. The Crossroads of Destiny

**Thus begins the epic events of the Book Two finale, also known as**

The Crossroads of Destiny

The morning after the party was full of excitement. Tara, Zuko, and Iroh dashed about the apartment gathering together everything they would need. Finally, an Ostrich-Horse cart picked up the uncle and nephew to bring them to the Royal Palace.

"Are you sure you don't want to come?" Iroh asked for the tenth time.

"Positive." She replied with a firm nod, "I told you I have to visit the zoo. Kokoro must miss me."

"I'll miss you, too." Zuko told her affectionately.

"Aww. Right back at cha. You two enjoy yourselves, though. I expect every detail when you get back."

"Of course." Iroh said as the prince smiled.

They said their goodbyes and Tara watched as the cart took them farther and farther away. She repositioned her bag on her shoulder and set out for the zoo. It took a while to get there, after walking through half of the Upper Ring and the entire Middle Ring, but she eventually made it.

Tara paid her two coins at the gate and immediately began walking around, admiring each animal but really looking for her dear Vulture-Griffin. Soon she found Kenji feeding the Rabbiroo and approached him happily.

"Hey, Kenji!" she called to him.

He looked up at her from the exhibit several yards lower than the regular ground. At first, the zookeeper looked confused but recognition soon dawned on his face.

"Tara, right?" he said.

"Yeah."

"Where have you been all this time?"

"Oh, it's a long and kind confusing story. I'm sorry I couldn't be here, though. I really wanted to."

"Alright. Your Vulture-Griffin is a joy to take care of, mind you."

" How is Kokoro?"

"Very well, but a bit lonely, I admit."

"I can fix that! Where is she?"

"The stable by the Dragonflies,"

"Okay. Where's that?"

"Keep going down this path. You'll hit it soon enough."

"Alright. Thanks, Kenji!"

He nodded with a wondering smile as she turned to go where he had said, a new spring in her step. The zookeeper was right, of course. Tara found the Dragonflies in a large aviary. Its bars seemed to be completely made out of earth, which only reinforced her belief that an earthbender had created the zoo.

But then there was the obviously wooden stable sitting next to it. _Well, it could've been made after. After all, Kokoro is fairly new here._ Tara skipped inside the stable and rushed to her old friend. The Vulture-Griffin seemed happy to see her too and nuzzled her head affectionately into her shoulder.

"I missed you, too, girl." She cooed as she stroked Kokoro's fur and feathered coat.

She pulled away from the reunion to look about the stable. The floor was covered in hay and the walls were adorned with shelves. On top of them were various items to help keep the Vulture-Griffin healthy and happy. Tara noticed brushes along with cabbages, as well as other vegetables.

"This is a pretty nice place you've got here." She laughed, "I've got a nice place too."

She continued talking on and on about what Kokoro had missed, everything that had happened since she began living with Iroh and Zuko. It wasn't until she had finished with that did she remember to tell about the happenings under Lake Laogai. In fact, she casually drifted over the subject in about two sentences.

"I'm not sure how long we'll be here in the city." Tara continued, "But it'll probably be a while. I've gotta head back to the apartment. It took _forever_ to get here, you know that? And you have to live at the very end of the zoo. I promise I'll visit every day, maybe every other. It depends on how busy the Jasmine Dragon is. I'll never leave you alone for so long ever again, though, kay?"

She gave Kokoro another hug around the neck, whispering her goodbye before heading back. It took another hour or so to make it back to the Upper Ring. Tara knew it would've been a shorter time, had the man guarding the Upper Ring not stopped her again. She only succeeded once she shoved her Jasmine Dragon name tag in his nose.

She opened the door to the apartment and dropped her bag on the clear floor. Now all Tara had to do was wait for Zuko and Iroh to come home.

Huh. Home. She had really just thought that. It had been a while since there was a place called home. Even for the month or so she lived in the tiny inn at the North Pole she had never associated home with it. It was fitting, she supposed, now that she was happy to be there. This was a place she had chosen to be for once.

So Tara brewed a pot of tea for herself and sat down by the window in Zuko's bedroom. Maybe it was weird to be there instead of the kitchen, but she had found that his window had a much better view. It spread out over not just the Upper Ring, but also the whole of Ba Sing Se could be seen from there. Sure, maybe the fields of the Lower Ring were teensy tiny dots but they were there.

All of a sudden, she noticed a glimpse of white inside the expanse of tans and greens of Zuko's bag. Tara carefully set her cup down on the floor and stood up. She cautiously walked towards the bag, feeling more guilt building up the farther she went. She knew she shouldn't be snooping, so why did she continue?

She reached inside and grabbed the object, immediately recognizing the feel. Tara gasped as she saw what it was, causing her to almost drop it. It was an extremely fragile white flower that had obviously seen better days. The petals were barely holding on to the center. It looked like any other flower, but she knew exactly what it was.

It was the same flower that had been in her hair months ago, before Ba Sing Se and her time alone. It was the one that she had lost when Zuko had saved her from the flames of the abandoned town after Azula had defeated her. The prince had kept it, all this time. But why?

She carefully thumbed a petal, staring at its faded whiteness in awe, when the sound of the door opening alerted her.

"Tara?" Iroh's voice echoed through the apartment.

"Over here!" she called while frantically shoving the flower back where she had found it and scrambling back to her tea, "What's up?"

The old man emerged into the room just in time to see Tara sitting by the window, sipping tea lazily. Her heart was beating a mile a minute, though. She tried to act as innocent as possible but she totally forgot what had happened before when she spotted his expression.

"We've got a problem." Iroh stated.

"Where's Zuko? What happened?" she asked worriedly.

"Princess Azula is in the city."

"It was all a trick, wasn't it? Oh, spirits. And Zuko-,"

"Stayed behind to fight. I told him not to-,"

"But he wouldn't listen. That's Zuko. What should we do?"

"We'll need help. Azula has the Dai Li under her control-,"

"Ugh, that's great."

"-so we won't be able to bring her down by ourselves."

"Well, who'd help us? Half the people in the city don't think there _is _a war and the other half doesn't want to risk talking about it because they could get thrown out!" Tara set her cup down and held her head, frustrated, "What do we do?"

"I do know of a few people who'd be willing to help. I think you do, too."

She looked up at him, knowing exactly who he was thinking of.

"Only Katara is in the city. She's helping the generals, so… she's probably either in trouble or about to be. Sokka gave me their address, though. If it's our only hope… I guess it's worth a try. But you're still going to act like I don't exist, got it? Please?"

He nodded. She stood up, leaving her tea where it was, grabbed her bag and they dashed outside. Tara pulled out the slip of paper she had written the address on and handed it to Iroh.

"So let me get this straight." She asked him as they fast-walked, "We're going to barge into the palace and hope to find Zuko? Just like that? Maybe we should come up with a better plan."

"What we need is more information." Iroh advised, "The more knowledge we have, the easier it will be to win this battle."

"Okay. How are we supposed to get more info?"

"We need to find someone who'd be willing to talk."

"I guess that rules out any Dai Li agents."

"Not necessarily."

She looked at him curiously, waiting for his explanation.

Tara stood in line, patiently waiting for her turn to buy some fruits. It was midday so the market was crowded with people. She turned her single coin over in her hand, anxiously awaiting just the right moment. Suddenly, the middle-aged man in front of her groaned impatiently. She smiled.

"Spirits, it is crowded, huh?" Tara said casually.

The man turned to look at her, a surprised expression obvious on his face.

"Uh, yeah." He replied, "Seems like it's taking forever."

"Totally, right? Still, it's better in Ba Sing Se than out there, am I right?"

"I wouldn't know. I grew up here."

"No way! Oh, but I'm sure you've heard enough news about that war, right? Terrible, huh?"

"War? You're crazy. There's no war going on."

"You don't know? Why it's been going on for a hundred years now! The whole entire Air Nomads nation was wiped out! You didn't hear about that?"

"No. It doesn't exist. I think I would know if a whole nation was murdered."

"When's the last time you've seen an air nomad, huh? Answer me that."

The man was silent for a moment.

"Not many come into the city. That doesn't prove anything."

"Oh, doesn't it? Just think long and hard about it. You'll realize."

"You're crazy."

Tara smirked. This was going to be her favorite part. She stepped out of line and climbed on top of a nearby box.

"You'll all see!" she preached into the crowd, "There's a war behind these walls! People dying! Fires raging! Families ripped apart! Listen to me, people! You've got to look around you! See the ones who turn away embarrassed! They don't want to be thrown out! They want to stay in the city they heard was safe from the evil clutches of the enemy! You've got to hear me, people! Listen to the truth that your eyes have seen but your brain denies! To the truth your ears ache to hear and understand but are closed when the time comes!"

Tara went on and on about the same thing over and over again. Eventually it turned into ramblings that truly did sound a bit crazy. She saw most people walk away with disgust, but there were the ones who kept their heads down and acted like she wasn't even there. Then there were the few people who seemed to believe in what she was saying. They whispered to each other frantically, discussing all the signs that they had always seen but never tied together.

It wasn't long before she spotted a Dai Li agent moving through the crowd to her. She kept screaming her word as he began taking her down from her perch.

"It's okay, miss. I'm taking you somewhere safe."

"See what your government does!" she preached on, "They hide the truth from your ears! They control every single one of you!"

Tara could tell he was about to pull out the earthbending. She instantly dropped her crazy preacher persona and adopted a conning smirk. She kicked his stomach behind her and began the fight. The agent was obviously stunned, so she continued her attack.

A few kicks later, she pulled out some rope she had put on her and tied his hands and feet together. Then she took out a strip of beige fabric and gagged him. _Alright, that's done. I better get out of here before more show up._

Tara dragged the agent out of the market as the onlookers watched, shocked.

"Uh, nothing to see here!" she told them, "Just go about your business."

She dragged him through the alleyways, ducking behind barrels and other things if needed, and finally made it to the gang's house. It was a lot nicer than their apartment, as expected. This was the Avatar they were housing. But there was the exception of the work being done on one half, though Tara instinctively contributed that to Toph.

She found Iroh standing nervously by the still pristine side of the house.

"I see the plan was successful." He commented.

"Yeah. That was a good idea, and it was actually a lot of fun, too. Only problem is, I think he's still unconscious."

"Hmm. How long has it been?"

"Five, ten minutes, why?"

"How hard did you hit him, Tara?"

"I don't know. I don't like this guy. Especially when I saw this."

She gestured to the scar on the agent's cheek.

"You recognize it?" Iroh asked after examining it.

"He's the one who took Jet away." She replied quietly, "He deserves more than what I gave him."

The old man frowned.

"Revenge is ugly, Tara. Remember that."

She nodded absentmindedly. Tara snapped her fingers and brought forth a spark.

"I love this trick." She stated.

She put her hand next to Scarface's face and snapped again. The hot spark jolted him into consciousness.

"Don't even try to say a word until we ask, got it?" she demanded into his ear.

He nodded and muffled an 'm hm'. Tara plopped him onto the porch and hid next to the house again.

"Ready?" she asked Iroh.

He nodded shortly before walking up the stairs and onto the porch. The old man reached the door and knocked. Tara watched anxiously as the door opened. She couldn't see who was there, but could clearly hear them.

"Glad to see you're okay." She heard Toph say.

Wait a second. Did they know each other?

"I need your help." Iroh said simply.

Next came the gasp of disbelief from who she assumed was Sokka and Aang.

"You guys know each other?" the airbender exclaimed.

"I met him in the woods once and knocked him down. Then he gave me tea and very good advice." Toph explained as Iroh smiled awkwardly.

Well, that did sound like Iroh. Tara thought back to the day she had met Iroh the second time, the same day she met Toph, and remembered something he had told her. _These woods seem to be filled with travelers._

"May I come in?" he asked.

He walked inside, causing Tara to lose any sight of them. She pressed her ear to the wall, straining to hear something.

"Princess Azula is here in Ba Sing Se." Iroh continued.

"She must have Katara." Aang said.

How do they know Katara is in danger? This was getting a bit confusing.

"She has captured my nephew as well." The old man added.

"Then we'll work together to find Azula, and save Katara and Zuko." The airbender concluded.

Yes!

"Whoa, there. You lost me at 'Zuko'." Sokka's untrusty tone came out.

No! _For once, Sokka, for once, could you go along with it without questioning someone's trust! He. Is. Good._

"I know how you must feel about my nephew." Iroh told them, "But believe me when I tell you there is good inside him."

It sounded a lot like what he had told her that same time day he had met Toph. Tara prayed Sokka would just say okay.

"Good inside him isn't enough." The warrior persisted, "Come back when it's outside him too, okay?"

She needed to start making her inner pleadings more specific. Luckily, Aang stepped up.

"Katara is in trouble. All of Ba Sing Se is in trouble." He convinced his friend, "Working together is our best chance."

A few nerve-racking seconds passed before Iroh spoke up and Tara assumed that Sokka had agreed.

"I brought someone along who might be able to help us."

She better hid herself as Iroh led the gang back onto the porch. After seeing Scarface, Toph immediately lifted him up with a quick earthbending move. As the gang came closer, Tara flattened herself to the wall which meant she couldn't see again.

"Azula and Long Feng are plotting a coup." Scarface's voice came out terrified and not muffled, leading her to believe someone had removed his gag, "They're going to overthrow the Earth King."

Alright. They could've guessed that. No duh, Azula wants to take control. It seemed Sokka thought so too.

"My sister!" the warrior demanded angrily, "Where are they keeping Katara?"

"In the Crystal Catacombs of Old Ba Sing Se," the agent spat out quickly, "deep beneath the palace."

The gang didn't waste any time. They dashed away along with Iroh. Tara climbed up onto the porch and faced the agent.

"So, Scarface," she began as she paced back and forth, his frightened eyes watching her, "remember me?"

"N-No. My name's not Scarface."

"No duh. So you don't recall this face? At all?"

"No, I swe- no. I do. You were at Lake Laogai. You escaped."

"But I had to leave someone behind. Where is he?"

"Who?"

"His name is Jet. There was also another boy named Longshot and a girl called Smellerbee. Are they in the catacombs too?"

"Oh, those three, no. No, they're long gone."

A thick layer of ice suddenly emerged inside her.

"What do you mean 'gone'?"

"Gone, passed away, dead. They're dead."

"No!" she screamed, "He can't be dead! He –wait. You killed the other two? They weren't even injured! There wasn't a scratch on them!"

"They had to be taken care of. They weren't worth dealing with."

Tara continued pacing back and forth, hands on her head. She trembled slightly as she did so in an effort to keep her emotions inside. It didn't help too much.

In one quick motion, she landed a hard kick on his chest. He was pushed from between the two rock slabs but hit the railing and flipped off the porch. Tara silently walked to the edge to see Scarface lying on his back on the ground, obviously unconscious again. She sighed. Step 1 was complete.

She and Iroh had come up with a simple three step plan about what to do with the agent after they didn't need him anymore. Step 1: knock unconscious. Step 2: leave him somewhere free of his bondages. Tara dragged him to another abandoned alleyway on her way to the palace, but far enough away from the gang's house. She ripped off his gag and untied his hands and feet. Step 3: walk away.

She looked at Scarface for a few moments more. She felt like kicking him again. Just one kick. But Iroh's advice echoed in her mind. _Revenge is ugly._ She had probably already got some revenge. It wasn't enough, but it was all she would do.

Tara fast-walked through the streets, holding back tears. Was it possible that this time yesterday she was laughing at the Jasmine Dragon with Iroh and Zuko? That just this morning she had been visiting Kokoro? How had things gotten so bad so fast? She supposed that was just how her life went.

She arrived outside the palace just in time to see Iroh and Aang disappear underneath the ground. Sokka and Toph, along with Momo, stood beside Appa looking as though they were ready to go somewhere.

"Tara!" Sokka exclaimed upon seeing her, "What happened? You look terrible."

"Thanks, Sokka." She said sadly.

"What, no comeback? Aren't you angry?"

"Yeah," Toph added, "he really set himself up for an insult that time."

"Nothing. I'll tell you later. What's going on?"

"Well," Sokka started, "Katara and Zuko are-,"

"Oh, I already know that." Tara told them, "So I'm guessing Iroh and Aang are going to Crystal Catacombs. And we are?"

"Sorry, right. Of course you were spying." The warrior said in his usual sarcastic manner.

"Who do you think captured that Dai Li agent?"

"She's got a point, Sokka." Toph added.

"Okay, we-,"

"We're going to warn the Earth King about the coup." The earthbender interrupted.

"Well, then what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

Tara led the way, wiping away her sadness, as they rushed across the expanse of suspiciously unguarded area that led to the palace.

"What I don't understand is why I don't see Suki anywhere." Sokka said as they ran, "I mean, you'd think the Kyoshi Warriors would be fighting by now."

"Uh, Sokka," Tara began, feeling a wave of guilt crashing over her, "there's something I've gotta tell you. Something I should've told you before."

"I'm sure it can wait, Tara." He said.

"No, no, it can't."

"This isn't a great time for a heart-to-heart. We're not going to die."

"Suki's not here, Sokka."

"Of course, she is. The Earth King said so."

Tara swallowed nervously.

"Right. What was I thinking?"

"Uh, Tara." Toph stated, "I know you're lying."

"Shut up." She said pointedly.

Sokka, evidently, didn't seem to notice this short exchange because he simply kept running ahead. Not caring to see how this turned out, Tara turned back.

"Where are you going?" Toph called.

"To the catacombs! They might need some help!"

"And we won't?" Sokka asked, "There'd be only two of us. They're going to have four."

"Does that mean you trust Iroh and Zuko now?"

"No. I'm just sa-,"

"You better get used to them. See ya later!"

With that, she dashed back to the large hole in the ground. Tara climbed through the circular tunnel until she got to the Crystal Catacombs. Instantly, she gasped at the sight of it. Everything… it was just beautiful.

She stepped out onto the ledge to get the full picture. Everywhere there were giant blue-green crystals sprouting out of the ground. Far away, there was a huge waterfall that dropped into an even bigger rectangular pool. The air was cool and crisp in a refreshing kind of way.

Suddenly, Katara and Aang emerged from a large hole in the crystal that was off to the side. Tara flattened down against the wall and slowly made her way to the hole. But it wasn't long before Katara and Aang, who were running through the main area, were attacked by Azula. Ignoring it, she quickly ducked into the hole to see Iroh encased in crystal, only his head and hands were free.

"Iroh!" she yelled as she ran towards him, "What happened?"

Tara took out her knife and tried to chip away at the rock.

"That simple knife won't free me, Tara." He told her calmly.

She didn't stop her attempt, though. It was all she could do.

"Tell me what's happened! I saw Katara walk out, where's Zuko?"

"Azula has manipulated him again."

Finally, Tara stopped her chipping and looked the old man in the face.

"Are you saying he's with her, like not as a prisoner but on her side? Seriously, that's… that's true?"

"I'm afraid it is."

"Where is he?"

"He went through the hole, back to the main area. I don't know where he is now."

Tara bit her lip and put her knife back in her bag.

"I'll be back, Iroh. I promise."

"Of course." He stated simply.

She ran back through the tunnel and looked over the area, but the prince was nowhere to be found. All of a sudden, though, a cry of frustration that could only be his came from above. Confused, Tara searched around her immediate area and saw a small set of stairs that led to a ledge with some openings on the side wall.

She ran up and found him in the first opening. He was pacing in circles, hands on his head in frustration, but he looked up in surprise when she came in.

"Lilly, what are you doing here?" he asked.

"Zuko, thank the spirits, you haven't completely gone to the dark side."

"What?"

"I can't believe this is even a hard question for you. Are you really considering betraying your uncle for you crazy sister who has lied to you a billion times before? I mean, really."

"I wouldn't be choosing my sister; I'd be choosing my country and my father. I could regain my honor."

"Would you stop going on and on about your honor! You don't need that! He's an evil man! He'd just use you more like he is right now. Do you think he ever thought you'd capture the avatar? He sent you to do that because he didn't want you around."

"You don't know anything, Lilly! So stop acting like you do! I'm sick of the mystery act! I'm sick of secrets!"

"I only keep secrets to protect myself."

"From what?"

"Stop making this about me!"

"I'm not! I deserve to know!"

"Not after this! You can't go with her!"

"Who said I was going to! I just needed to work this out on my own!"

"There shouldn't be a choice! You should know right away your place! You are good, Zuko! Why can't you get that into your thick skull?"

"Where's good? Just because it's your side doesn't mean it's the right one!"

"Alright, let's go over a few things! Your father's side kills innocent people. My side saves them. Your father's side sets whole cities on fire. My side protects those cities. Your father's side banished a 13-year-old boy! My side wants to help him. Does that clear things up?"

"You're exaggerating."

"Am I? Are you so sure?"

"You can't stop this, Lilly. This is my choice. I'm going home, remember that place?"

"It's been awhile since I called the Fire Nation my home."

"But you remember everything you love about it. You told me you miss it."

"Not enough to go back! I'll go back when this war is over, we are at peace, and the leaders there aren't power-hungry maniacs!"

"Well, I'm leaving this dry wasteland and going back where I belong!"

"You don't belong there!"

"Don't act like you know what's good for me! This is my destiny!"

"I don't want to act in control! I'm sorry I come across that way, but you have to listen to me!"

"No, Lilly! I'm done listening! Goodbye."

Without another word he shoved his way past her and out the door. Tara ran out and yelled at him from the stairs.

"What about this morning?" she demanded sadly, as tears began streaming down her cheeks, "You said you'd miss me!"

He turned back to look at her, keeping his frustrated yet stoic face.

"I lied."

Funny, how her heart could break with two simple words. He ran into the battle and shot a plume of fire in between Azula and Aang, who seemed to be having a stare-off. Tara watched Zuko for a pivotal moment before he finally attacked Aang.

The fight launched back into motion after that, and she didn't care anymore. Sure, Aang and Katara could pull through. Sokka and Toph could stop the coup. But none of it mattered now. As far as she was concerned, it was all over.

Funny, how about three days or so ago, Tara could've cared less about that prince. Maybe, if she had just not suggested that party last night, things would've been so much different. She would've been disappointed, but her heart would only barely crack and she could stitch it up easily. Now it was like Humpty-Dumpty, no one could put it back together again. No one.

As if in a trance, Tara walked down the stairs and back into the large hole. Silently, she took out her knife again and chipped away at the crystal encasing Iroh. The old man said nothing, he understood. He knew what had just happened. He saw the water still leaking from her eyes, and she didn't even try to hide it like she normally would.

The bits of crystal came off in little sparkly dust. For the tool she was using, a lot came off, but it wasn't enough. This was going to take forever. In a last effort, Tara channeled her firebending through the knife until it heated up enough to cut through the crystal like hard butter. In a few short slices, Iroh was free but he looked astonished.

"How did you do that?" he finally asked her.

"I-I've always been able to." She croaked, "Can't you?"

He merely shook his head.

"But-,"

"That's genuine crystal." He told her, "You ordinarily can't heat it up so much."

"I don't understand. What does tha-,"

Suddenly, the sound of a large explosion came from outside. Tara and Iroh instantly ran to the hole, fearing the worst. She stepped out to see a glowing tower of energy reaching up to the ceiling. Aang, in the Avatar State, was slowly ascending higher up the tower. She waited for a super amazing attack that usually happened right about now.

She didn't wait long before Azula obliged with a single shot of lightning and struck Aang. For a terrifying moment, he stayed floating in the air writhing in pain before the electricity vanished and sent him falling, burnt and unconscious, towards the Earth. Iroh ran up the stairs and across the cliffs towards them, but Tara couldn't stop watching the scene play out with her eyes widened.

Katara rode a giant wave over the army of Dai Li agents and caught the airbender. Before anyone else could attack, Iroh jumped from his perch and shot a plume of fire to protect the pair.

"You've got to get out of here!" he commanded, "I'll hold them off as long as I can!"

With that, Katara waterbended her way up the waterfall and presumably back onto the surface. That's when Tara realized that, for once, they had lost. She ran across the catacombs to the way she had come in. It seemed she would be leaving Ba Sing Se sooner than expected. She needed to get to the zoo, and fast.

**Finally finished! YAY! I love this chapter so very much. It took longer than expected but you can't really rush awesomeness. And that's a fact. Which is why I probably won't meet my deadline. Oh well. I'll still be writing a lot faster than I have been. **

**So PLEASE give me some feedback! I'm craving some more reviews, guys! I've got to know what you think! I don't have much else to say… so goodbye! Next time I'll bring Book Three: Fire! Let extreme epicness ensue!**

**PS. Thank you so very much, Magii of Mysteri OusStranger, for your awesome reviews! You made me jump for joy when you said I deserve more! I don't know if I do, but, you know, if you say so! I would give you some of those hearts that you can type with the 3 and something else, but the something else never shows up… which is why there are just random 3s on some of my other chapters… (awww head desk!)**


	17. The Awakening

**Presenting the one and only… actually there is another… but that's not the point. Here is **

The Awakening

Tara clutched onto Kokoro's feathery fur as she carefully landed in between the trees. She jumped off the Vulture-Griffin's back and fell on the ground. Absentmindedly, she stroked her fur as she stared out onto the water. A large black Fire Navy ship sailed lazily across the surface.

With a small sigh, she grabbed her bag and began to make camp for the night. As darkness rolled in, Tara leaned against a tree trunk and dug her foot into the cold rocky sand of the small coastline. She longed for some more company but dreaded it at the same time. After the battle underneath Ba Sing Se, everything seemed to happen fast.

First, Tara ran back to the zoo and flew off with Kokoro without saying a word to Kenji. She hoped he understood. Then she quickly located Appa and followed him. It would've felt like the old days had the circumstances been different. They landed by Chameleon Bay and met back up with the Water Tribe warriors. It was there that she spoke with Sokka again.

He was mad at her. She didn't blame him. Tara knew the Kyoshi warriors had been captured, yet she kept it secret. She was so close to telling too, but she didn't. If she had, they would've known the real ones weren't there and could've taken action earlier. She was selfish, and Sokka knew.

Now every time he took a small boat onto the shore for a 'scouting mission', their meetings were tense and uncomfortable. They mostly consisted of a short update on Aang's condition and meaningless small talk. They almost always ended in a yelling match that wasn't even a match. It was really a shout or two from Sokka and a quiet 'I know' from Tara. Afterwards, he would leave without a goodbye and she would watch as the small boat got further and further away wondering if he would even come back the next day.

But he always did, and this thought kept her going. Luckily, tonight was no different. The warrior's boat pulled onto the shore and he climbed out. Tara smiled but quickly hid it as he turned her way. She picked up a rock and attempted to skip it across the water. Instead it fell with a loud splash. They exchanged an unemotional glance before he grabbed his own rock and skipped it perfectly.

"Hm." She stated, "You were always better at that."

He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

"What?" he exclaimed, "I used to be terrible. You taught me how to do it."

"Oh."

Tara pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her chin in between them as she stared across the rippling moonlit water. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Sokka sit beside her.

"It's been a long two weeks." He stated after a few minutes.

"Yeah."

"Are you okay?"

She blinked a couple times and finally looked at him.

"I'm fine."

"You're not acting fine."

"How do you want me to act?" she said softly.

"See, you would normally have said that really angrily or like you're upset. But instead you said it really quietly and not mad at all."

She sighed.

"What do you want from me, Sokka? Do you expect me to just jump up and say 'It's alright! Nothing too bad has happened. Nobody _died_.'? Because that's not happening. I would be lying… again."

"Aang didn't die, Tara."

"You said he-,"

"Katara brought him back. He's going to be okay."

"Did he wake up yet?"

Sokka grew quiet.

"No. But he will. I know it."

"If he doesn't it'll be all my fault."

"It's not your fault, Tara. Azula's the one who shot him full of lightning."

She turned away.

"You weren't there." She said almost inaudibly, "You didn't see him… twitching in pain. The fact that all I needed to do was tell you… just suck it up and tell you… then that wouldn't have happened. I just… I don't feel anything inside anymore. All that's there is guilt and hurt. And I have nothing to do, nothing to take it out on… because I don't want to do any more damage. Sometimes I just think about leaving so I won't… I don't know."

Suddenly, the warrior pulled her into a tight hug that was very unlike him, but comforting all the same.

"I won't let you go." He said.

"Why are you being so nice to me?"

"Like I said, it's been two weeks. I wasn't right to be so angry in the first place. I'm sorry."

Tara didn't say anything. When she finally pulled away, she wiped her eyes and laughed nervously.

"Your hair is so long."

Sokka looked surprised at first but then laughed too. He ran his hand over one side of his head where his hair had grown out.

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Lookin' good, oh mighty warrior. And that red and black soldier get-up? Very nice."

"It's necessary. We've really got to look the part. Speaking of that, I better get back to the boat."

Tara swallowed, she knew this was coming.

"Of course. I'm glad we've got that whole… situation resolved. Tell Toph I say hi."

"Will do. Bye."

"Right."

Again, she watched his little boat get smaller and smaller until it reached the ship. This time, though, she was positive he would be back.

Tara nibbled on some Squirrel-Munk she had caught the day before, and then she smiled, feeling as though things were just a bit better. She sighed and rested her head against the tree behind her before falling to sleep for the night.

The next day, she quickly packed up her camp and flew into the sky with Kokoro. The downside, at least for her, to the gang hiding out on their captured ship was that they were always looking over their shoulder. It was hard to follow them without being spotted. Already she had had too many close calls.

Her strategy was this: fly through the trees and follow them diagonally. At night, make camp and in the morning, catch up to them as much as possible. It was simple and effective. That day, as she did what she normally did during the flights, which was stare off into space and think of random things, life got a bit interesting.

Now another disadvantage of Tara's situation was that she couldn't see a thing on the ship. All the information she had was told to her by Sokka. From her view, she could make out some small movement that she contributed to people but had no idea who they were or what they were doing. On that day, though, there was one thing she was sure of: they were totally in trouble.

Another Fire Navy ship had pulled up close to theirs and its commander was most likely talking to Hakoda and Bato, their resident 'commanders'. At first, Tara thought nothing of it as they had encountered this before but everything went okay. After a few minutes, though, she saw a blob of black splash into the water. This pretty much signaled a fight.

It wasn't long before the battle was in full swing; their ship was racing ahead while the enemy one was close behind after Katara's waterbending pushed them away from each other. Chunks of rock obviously hit by Toph were thrown to the bad guys. Giant fire balls were tossed the other way. Suddenly, a thick mist covered the whole area where the fighting was going on so that she could only see some fiery explosions.

Meanwhile, Tara was simply watching. Yes, she was worried, especially after she realized that they _could_ totally lose now, but it wasn't like she could do much. Sometimes it seemed like her whole life was spent watching stuff like this happen. Oh wait, it basically was.

As the mist faded away, she spotted a large sea serpent rise out of the water. It looked like things were going to get worse. But, just as she thought so, one of the enemy's fireballs hit the serpent which caused the monster to attack that boat instead. Tara smiled as the danger disappeared.

And so, they traveled on. The rest of the day passed with no events. When evening came along, their ship pulled up onto a small port with a small but seemingly bustling village. Kokoro landed in the forest nearby and Tara headed for the place. Though she didn't have any money, the possibility of something new crowded her troubled mind.

The village was filled with merchants shoving their products into your face. She pushed her way passed the annoying people and went towards the dock. It was slightly less crowded there when she arrived and so she was able to get a spot as a casual shopped browsing through some jewelry at one of the first stands.

It wasn't long before she spotted Toph and Sokka walk onto the pier. Toph wore her normal clothing but accompanied with a red Fire Nation cloak. Sokka wore the same cloak but also had on his soldier disguise, excluding the helmet. The warrior's face seemed troubled, which in turn troubled Tara. What had gone wrong now?

Soon, she knew they had spotted her but looked like they wanted to stay casual about it. Tara assumed Katara was on her way, although why she wasn't with them now baffled her. They approached a fruit stand next to hers and pretended to inspect the products. She expertly moved her position so that she was on the very edge.

"Aang's awake." Sokka stated, without looking at her.

For a moment, this news snapped her out of her act. She all but dropped the necklace in her hand.

"That's great." She replied with as much enthusiasm she could add without fully yelling it, "So what's the problem?"

He sighed and shook his head in frustration.

"He doesn't like being dead."

"Ah." She said softly, "I wouldn't either."

"It's important that he stay a secret, Tara."

"True, but he's the avatar. From his view, he's failed the whole world… again."

"I realize that. He's just got to get over it."

She huffed.

"It'll be okay, oh mighty warrior. Aang will come to his better senses. Then everything will be all normal again. Or, as normal as it could be ever again."

"Why do you always have to act like the better person?"

She shrugged. He gave her a skeptical look.

"You're still not the same." He stated.

This time Tara was ready for that answer.

"Oh Sokka, how could I ever be again."

"Alright, now you're back to your dramatic self."

"I'm not dramatic!"

"Now you're really back to your old self."

Toph laughed and Tara smiled. Okay, maybe she was just a bit theatrical.

"Katara's coming!" Toph informed all of a sudden.

Slight panic jumped in her stomach but her outside managed to remain calm. She held the necklace close up as though she was inspecting it further as Katara approached Sokka and Toph.

"So Aang's still not coming?" Tara heard Toph ask.

"No." the waterbender replied calmly, though the hint of frustration was still evident in her voice, "He seems to be pretty upset. But it's been a long day so…"

"That's the spirit!" Sokka jumped in encouragingly, "I'm sure by the time we get back he'll be the good old Aang that we know and love."

Tara carefully placed the necklace back where she found it and picked up a pair of silver earrings.

"You think so?" Katara's still uneasy voice asked.

"Please," the warrior replied, "I know so. He's a smart kid. He'll realize what's best."

"I guess you're right."

"Good." Toph said in that special Toph way, "Now let's go get some food. I'm starving."

Katara and Sokka mumbled their agreements and were soon off into the interior of the market. As they left, Tara returned the earrings to their former spot and decided to explore the market more. Suddenly, she spotted two copper coins left lying on the ground.

Tara sighed as she bent down to pick up the money. She's gotten pretty low, taking charity from Sokka. Still, she would have to thank him later. It's not like she had much money.

The firebender pocketed the coins, intending to save them, and headed into the busier section of the market. She stopped at the stands with more interesting products, like exotic animals or rare spices. But she didn't stay at one for very long, because after a while the owner seemed to realize that she wasn't buying and they didn't like that one bit. Yet it was the best time that she'd had since leaving Ba Sing Se.

Spirits, her life was depressing. Though, she supposed being able to joke about it now was a good sign that things were turning around. After all, Aang had woken up, how could it not? But how many times has she said that before? And how many times has she exclaimed about the numerous times she'd said that before? Maybe she should start keeping track. It'd give her something to do.

When the night got later, Tara left the village and returned to her make-shift campsite. Kokoro was soundly sleeping, so she quietly placed her bag on the ground and snuggled up beside the Vulture-Griffin. Everything seemed right in this moment, right here.

And then Tara thought of Zuko.

**Sokka POV**

Sokka closed the door behind him and collapsed dramatically onto his bed. It had been a long and confusing day for the warrior. Ultimately, though, things seem to be okay. He only wished he could've gone to see Aang before going to sleep. Wondering whether he had accepted the facts or not was going to keep him up worrying for sure. But Katara had been very persistent that she wanted to bring him his dinner alone.

In the end, though, it wasn't Aang that kept him from Sokka's beloved dreamland. No, it was Tara. It looked like they had resolved their fight, but his feelings were still there. Was he upset that the firebender knew Suki had been captured but didn't tell him? Oh, yeah. Would that information have kept the defeat in Ba Sing Se from happening? It's very possible.

But there was no use in staying in the past. Besides, Sokka valued his relationship with Tara more. If only he could rescue Suki. And those other Kyoshi warriors. Whatever their names were.

The warrior decided that the fight should end, and so it did. It didn't bring back the old Tara, though. He was beginning to think nothing would. Sure there were moments where her true fiery, stubborn, and very dramatic personality came out, like in the market earlier. Yet, she retained that sad, super thoughtful, but not caring demeanor that she had gotten since Ba Sing Se.

Much as Sokka might seem annoyed when Tara had shot back comments, he had found that he missed them now. There had been way too many opportunities that the old Tara would've jumped on. Now, nothing. It looked like even Toph noticed the difference. At least the firebender had taken out the braid. Her long flowing hair had become such a part of Sokka's mental image of her that, without it, she was barely Tara at all.

He missed Tara. He really did. And it was very annoying.

Sokka laid under his covers and stared at the ceiling of the dark room thinking these thoughts over and over again, trying to find some peace, for who knows how long. Finally, his door opened quickly and slammed against the wall, snapping him out of his trance. The warrior winced as the hallway's light invaded the darkness.

"What is it?" he asked groggily as he made out the image of his sister.

"Aang's gone." She stated importantly, "We have to go find him."

"What do you mean he's gone?" Sokka yelled, officially out of his tired state, "He ran away?"

"Yes, now get up! We've got to go!"

With that, Katara left running down the hallway, no doubt to inform the others. Sokka frantically grabbed his cloak and bag, and then made a mad dash for the deck.

Upon arrival, he realized it was raining, like really hard. It didn't take long for his whole body to get soaked. But the wetness didn't bother him too much as he joined Katara, Toph, Bato, and his father who were standing by Appa.

"So what's the plan?" he asked over the roar of water hitting the deck.

"You're going to find Aang and stay in the Fire Nation for a while." Bato informed.

"We're not coming back?" Toph asked.

"It's best to make your way through the country then risk delaying our time for the invasion." Hakoda replied, "And who knows? You may find out some useful information while you're there."

"We'll meet back up in Chameleon Bay the morning of the eclipse." Bato finished.

"Sounds good to me." Toph said, "Now let's go find Twinkle Toes and knock some sense into 'em."

Sokka nodded and said his fond farewells to his father. It was hard separating again, but they had to get moving. As he climbed onto Appa's back, he noticed Katara and Hakoda saying sad goodbyes to each other. For a split second, he remembered that his sister was angry at his father for unknown reasons. He hoped they had resolved whatever it had been about.

A moment later, the warrior said the magical words that sent Appa into the sky. The rain beat down hard against him, reminding him of the time he, Tara, and the fisherman were stuck in that terrible storm. That could've ended really badly, but it didn't. Tara always managed to emerge from those situations completely unharmed. Sokka still doesn't know how she made it back to the shore after falling in the water. No way did she swim like she said so. He knew it was a lie from the very beginning, something just told him it was better to ask later.

But he never did. He could put it to leaving her to her own business but really he had just forgotten. Some friend he was.

The gang searched the surrounding waters for any sign of Aang with his glider. After awhile, Sokka's worries grew. What if they were too late? What if he had drowned? Not only would the world be pretty much doomed, but he would lose a friend who had become just like the brother he had always thought it would be awesome to have. He can't just be gone. It was like losing Tara all over again.

As the earliest signs of sunrise began to emerge, the warrior could make out a Fire Nation blockade. He looked backwards for a second to see Katara's even more worried face. She had obviously seen it too.

"Should we pass it?" he asked.

"Pass what?" Toph called.

"There's no where else he could've gone." Katara said reluctantly, ignoring Toph's question.

Sokka turned back to face the blockade.

"When we pass it, we'll be on Fire Nation territory." He stated.

"What?" the earthbender yelled, clearly frustrated.

"I know." His sister calmly responded.

He nodded.

"We're gonna need some cover." The warrior told her.

He steered Appa higher into the clouds, ready for some brutal winds, but the storm had calmed considerably and the rain was beginning to die down. As they flew over the ships, Katara bended the water around them to help conceal themselves from the enemy.

They continued their search after safely returning to normal flight height but had no luck. The day had fully come by the time the gang reached familiar land. Sokka realized it was the crescent shaped island they had gone to on the winter solstice. That event was particularly unhappy for the warrior.

Part of that event was spent in the Spirit World. Alone. He couldn't remember much of what happened then, or any of it actually. It was like a dream, so vivid while it was going on but completely forgotten after waking up. It was on the tip of his tongue, but it just wasn't enough. The worst thing was he swore whatever happened was extremely important.

As he led Appa to circle the island, he tried to remember. The more he thought about it, the clearer it became and he realized that he hadn't tried very hard to recall it before. Suddenly, it was all there in front of him. _Oh, no._

At the same time, Sokka spotted Aang lying on the rocky shore.

"There!" Katara's exclamation signaled that she had seen him too.

Quickly, Appa landed gently beside the airbender and the gang jumped off his back enthusiastically. Momo immediately hopped onto his chest and began licking his face, causing Aang to wake up.

"You're okay!" Katara said happily as she knelt down and embraced the airbender.

Toph, Sokka, and even Appa joined the hug.

"I have so much to do." Aang stated once they broke away.

"I know but you'll have our help." Katara replied.

"You didn't think you could get out of training just by coming to the Fire Nation, did you?" Toph laughed.

"What about the invasion?" the airbender asked.

"We'll join up with my dad and the invasion force on the day of the eclipse." Sokka filled him in.

"Hey, what's," Toph began as she turned around and took something out of the water, "Oh, it's your glider."

She held up what remained of Aang's glider. All that was left was the center rod, some broken spokes, and scraps of fabric still barely holding on. Toph gave it to the airbender who took it gingerly.

"That's okay." He told them, "If someone saw it, it would give away my identity. It's better for now that no one knows I'm alive."

With that, Aang walked up to a fork in a thin stream of lava and stuck it in the molten rock. Seconds later, flames engulfed the Air Nomad relic and reduced it to ash. Aang walked calmly back to them, an unfeeling expression on his face.

Sokka probably should've felt sorry for him. It must've been hard seeing something so close to him being destroyed. Or maybe feel a bit happy that he had accepted the plan. But he didn't. He couldn't stop thinking about what he had to tell Tara.

Oh, shoot. Tara.

It was midday by the time he was able to get away. The gang had decided it was best to camp out on the island for the day. Aang was still pretty injured, but Katara could help more now that he was awake. They couldn't stay there long, though, or they might get to Chameleon Bay late.

Toph and Aang used Earthbending to make an area that would be protected from the lava that continuously flowed from the volcano at the island's center. Sokka convinced the others that he needed to take a trip back to the mainland to collect more supplies. Katara was the most against it, but eventually reluctantly agreed.

With a quick 'yip yip', he and Appa took to the skies. As they flew over the brigade, the warrior went into the remaining clouds. Waterbending would've helped considerably, but he managed to hide from the enemy. When he found land again, he immediately began looking for a sign of Tara's campsite or Kokoro flying through the sky.

Eventually, he spotted the Vulture-Griffin flying along the shore so low it was almost as if her feet were dragging along the sand. Appa sped up a little bit and then turned so that they were traveling right beside Tara. Sokka yelled out her name until she looked up and saw him. Her eyes were filled with worry and sadness that changed to surprise as she saw him. He signaled to land and she nodded in understanding.

Once they did, the warrior jumped from Appa's back and ran to her as she slowly made her way to the ground. He was about to hug her when he noticed what he couldn't see from far away. Tear stains. The warrior's hands fell instead just on her shoulders.

"Sokka." The firebender choked out, "You _did _come back."

"Yeah, Tara." He said quietly in shock.

She pulled him in a weak embrace and began crying again. Sokka pat her back comfortingly, wondering what went wrong. Sure, he couldn't make their normal meeting time, but…

"I didn't think you were coming back." Tara mumbled through tears, "I thought it was all over, that I would be alone. I can't be alone. I just can't be alone, Sokka."

"I'm here, Tara." He replied softly, "You're not alone, I promise you. You're not. I won't ever leave you. I'm sorry I was late."

He wasn't sure how long they stood there. Her tears kept coming and she kept on mumbling. He never stopped talking to her, telling her it was all okay. He stroked her soft hair as the situation slowly dawned on him.

She was having an emotional breakdown. It had been building up for the last two weeks, or maybe even since her capture in Lake Laogai. Sokka should've seen this coming. He should've known. It was so obvious now.

Tara had absolutely no one except him. The weight of it fell down hard on his shoulders. Yes, Toph knew of her existence too, but they didn't have the same relationship. She barely came by the see the firebender. Sokka had so many more people he could fall back on; his sister, Toph, Aang, his father, all the other water tribe men, and everyone else they had met along the way.

As Tara's tears finally began to subside and he could hear taking deep frantic breaths, Sokka decided that he couldn't tell her what happened while he was in the Spirit World. He just couldn't. He knew the information might break her.

He just hoped it wasn't too late.

**Oh my gosh. It's finally done. I gotta say, I didn't expect this to be so epic. I was really putting it off because I didn't know what to do with. I'm so so **_**so**_** sorry for the long delay. I hope it was worth it. Next chapter will be even better, I promise. It will also come sooner, though I can't promise that. I'm just hoping it's true.**

**So, Sokka's revelation is pretty epic, huh? I bet at the end you were all like 'What happened! I must know!' At least I hope you were all like that. That's what I was going for. I'm sorry if I bring you frustration.**

**Well, again I apologize for my lateness. I was on major writer's block. Also, I'm informing you that, obviously, I didn't meet my deadline. I have not set a new one and have just decided that, to make sure it's really awesome, I'm just going to go with the flow. I'm sorry. That's just how it goes. Have some faith in me, please.**

**In conclusion, I would adore a review. Seriously. I am in a very serious need for some appreciation. Just tell me what you think! I accept constructive criticism too! It's all in the name of good writing! I suppose that's all. Thanks for reading! Adios!**


	18. The Puppetmaster

**For more epicness, look below. Some secrets just might be revealed. Okay, some **_**will be**_** revealed. Now don't you want to read it?**

The Puppetmaster

Tara sat up high in a tree, watching the gang at their campsite. They were telling ghost stories, mostly by Sokka which meant they weren't very scary at all. In fact, they made her smile amusingly. She rubbed her fingers nervously in the dark, wishing she could make some fire. That would definitely give her away, though. No doubt about it.

It had been a while since they separated from the rest of the invasion force. Tara tried not to think about what had happened that night. She didn't know what came over her. She and Sokka had just resolved their fight and everything! Why wouldn't he come back?

But the firebender had really lost it. She wished she hadn't. Sokka came by so religiously now, the exact same time every night. He seemed to act normal to her, but once in a while Tara caught him looking at her pitifully. She knew he remembered all too well.

The gang has traveled far into the Fire Nation and has almost reached Chameleon Bay. During that time Aang had enrolled in a school and was basically expelled the next day. Katara went all 'must help people' again and saved a fishing village from pollution. Sokka found a guy who taught him how to use a sword, and a cool 'space' sword at that. The gang found a new enemy in a big scary dude that firebends from his forehead. Aang was enlightened on the events before the beginning of the war by Roku. Finally, Sokka and Toph found a new way to earn money, and Tara couldn't help but help a little too. They _did _get a cool new hawk out of the deal, though whether it'll actually come back from its first assignment is unknown. How was it supposed to know where to go, anyway?

With only a week or so until the invasion, and only being a short way away from their destination point, their journey was ahead of schedule. It was looking like Sokka's super planning was working after all.

As Katara's freaky story reached its ending and Toph enjoyed scaring Aang, Tara spotted a figure moving towards the gang's campsite. She tensed up, hoping that it was no one threatening.

"Hello, children." A nice voice sounded.

The gang shrieked in fright and grabbed onto each other. The person walked into the light and Tara blinked in shock. It was only an old woman, not in the least bit a threat to them. Still, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. It was almost as if the woman's long white hair and gently weathered ace was familiar to her.

But that was impossible, she told herself.

"Sorry to frighten you." She went on, "My name is Hama. You children shouldn't be out in the forest at night. I have an inn nearby, why don't you come back there for some spice tea and warm beds?"

Hama. It didn't _sound_ familiar.

"Yes, please." Sokka squeaked.

Hama smiled creepily and walked away. The gang looked at each other and sprang to life, packing up their campsite as fast as possible in an effort to catch up to the old woman. Tara did the same, though more calmly as she didn't need to catch up completely.

Once the gang was walking normally beside Hama, Tara jumped silently from limb to limb, enjoying the night air. She could see Kokoro flying close to the tree line through gaps in the leaves. When they reached the village, she stopped in her tracks.

She definitely recognized it. The steady incline of the hill that buildings were built upon, the obvious presence of a marketplace even at night on the only flat area, and the homely look of stone foundation on the houses seemed to all be from a distant dream.

As Hama and the gang made their way to a larger building far up on the hill, Tara jumped down to the ground. Kokoro landed lightly beside her and nudged at her chin. She stroked her feathery fur absentmindedly before looking at the Vulture-Griffin's deep gray eyes.

"I guess we'll camp out here tonight, Kokoro." Tara told her.

She led her a bit deeper into the forest to hide from the normal townspeople. After snuggling up to Kokoro, she reluctantly closed her eyes and pushed the ghostly memories out of her mind.

**Sokka POV**

Sokka woke to the sound of someone crawling in his window. He normally would've been a bit freaked out, but he knew who it was. He wiped the drool from his face and looked up, wincing.

"Hi, Sokka." Tara whispered as she sat on the bed.

"Hey." He stated quietly, sitting up and rubbing his eyes gently, "Is the moon at the top? Did I sleep in?"

He really hoped he didn't, and he couldn't imagine it because of the overall creepiness of his surroundings, but her worried face made him feel uneasy.

"No." she replied softly, "Not yet."

Sokka swallowed nervously as he slowly became more awake.

"What's the matter, Tara?"

He watched her finger the covers as he knew she did sometimes when she didn't want to say something. A minute or so passed before Tara answered.

"I know this village, Sokka."

He blinked.

"What do you mean? Have you heard of it?"

"No. I-I've been here before."

He scratched his head and brushed his loose hair behind his ear, even though the majority of it fell forward again.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

"How is that possible?"

"Believe it or not, Sokka, but I did have a life before I met you." She responded with a slight snap, "I had a village, just like you do. You know, before everything got messed up."

_Stupid._

"Right, right." He waved it off, "I know. Do you think this is that village, the one you grew up in?"

"It has to be. The only other village I've ever been to was my grandmother's, but that one was by the sea."

"Where did you go for archer training?"

"Here. They held it in a field nearby, but not the fire lily one. Any official meetings we had were in the court house, but those were few."

Sokka took a deep breath.

"So you really don't like it here, huh?"

She scratched the back of her neck.

"No. Well, not exactly. I hate the memories of my family but the village itself… it's kind of beautiful. Seriously, maybe it was just my little kid mind, but throughout this whole year of our travels, we've never passed a place more pretty than here. The only exception might be that place by your, uh, sword master's house. That view was gorgeous."

"Really?"

Tara laughed weakly.

"Yeah. Although, I've held this place in such high esteem. Who knows? Maybe when morning comes, it'll turn out to be nothing but a childhood dream. I'm hoping not."

"I'm sure it'll be great."

He heard her exhale slowly before she turned sharply to look straight at him.

"But there's something else."

"What?"

"Hama… I know her."

"You do?"

"Yeah. Although, eight years ago she didn't own this inn. There was a man who did, and she was only second in command."

"You remember all this?"

"After my mother died and I failed at archer training, my father went away for about a week. I stayed here. We didn't have any money, as you know, but the innkeeper knew we had some problems. He seemed more than happy to take care of me. But it was Hama that became my friend. I was distraught, and she was like the _kind _grandmother I'd always wanted. When my father came back to take me to the… ship, I was young, but I can still remember… the look on her face. It was something like disgust… or hatred."

Tara left his gaze and went back to staring at the floor. Sokka swallowed again.

"You never told me that."

"You didn't ask, did you?"

"The way you said it, it sounded like you went right to the ship."

"I guess I don't really think about it that often. That week was more like a blur. Hama was nice, but I kept comparing her to my mother. No one could compete with her."

Sokka nodded. He didn't need to say he understood. He knew Tara well enough to know that she could tell he understood.

"Do you suspect Hama of anything? Is that what you're getting at?"

"I'm not getting at anything. I'm just saying that she may be nice on the outside, but there's something creepy brewing underneath the surface. Don't trust her, Sokka. I wouldn't."

"I agree. There's something off about her. Uh, that original innkeeper… was he older than Hama?"

Tara shook her head.

"No. No, he had to be at least ten years younger. His hair was only graying a little and his face wasn't wrinkled at all. Hama looks almost the same as she did back then."

"Do you think he left the village?"

"He would never do that. This inn had been in his family for generations. He loved it."

Sokka scratched his chin in confusion.

"So what happened to him?"

"I don't know. I don't want to know."

He smiled.

"Yes, you do."

Finally, she laughed.

"Okay, maybe. It just seems like old ladies in mysterious situations… I don't know, it's pretty creepy."

"We need a new word to describe this place besides creepy."

"Agreed." Tara patted his leg from underneath the covers, "Okay, oh mighty warrior, I should probably go. Emotional freak-out moment is over. Thank you for listening."

She stood up with a slight hop on her heels and headed over to the window.

"Hey." He called as he realized something, "How did you get in here? This is the second floor."

"Yeah, well, this was my room and I was always an adventurous person. You don't think it took me long to find my way around, do you?"

She smirked as she gripped the windowsill behind her. He was about to answer when suddenly she pulled herself over the sill and fell.

"Tara!" Sokka whisper-yelled.

He jumped out of bed and raced to the window. He looked down, expecting to see Tara flat as a pancake, but instead saw her standing perfectly fine. In fact, she seemed to be laughing.

"What-how did you- Tara!"

"Calm down. Really, this wall is super easy to climb. Now, good night, Sokka!"

"Night, Tara."

"And by the way, nice hair."

He smiled smugly as she laughed again and walked away. After climbing back into bed, he found that it was no easier to fall asleep. Thoughts jumbled around inside his brain.

What did Hama do to the original innkeeper? What was that look she gave Tara all about? What did she know? Sokka wanted to solve this as quickly as possible and then leave. Surely, that's what Tara would want too.

As he felt himself begin to drift off, he silently willed himself not to toss and turn as much as he knew he would normally with so much on his mind. Last time he woke up the completely other way and he could only imagine what that would be like on an actual bed.

The next morning he had a rude awakening half-lying on the floor with his feet still resting awkwardly in the bed.

"Wakey-wakey!" Hama smiled in his face, "Time to go shopping!"

The old woman clasped her hands together happily as Katara walked inside the room already ready to leave. Sokka rubbed his eyes lazily and yawned.

"Be right up." He mumbled, still half-asleep.

"Make sure to be downstairs in five minutes." Hama chirped before leaving the room.

"Isn't she great?" Katara exclaimed as Sokka stood up and stretched.

"Sure, if you like creepy."

"You know, you are really judgmental." His sister stated with her hands on her hips.

"Okay, but I'm right this time." He said as he grabbed his shirt and pulled it over his head, "I don't trust her."

"Why not?" Katara questioned, "What's so off about her, huh?"

Sokka, now finished getting dressed, took his sword and put the strap over his shoulder. He contemplated how he should answer this as the real reason he obviously couldn't reveal.

"Come on, it's more the type of thing you can't explain. She's strange, and that's that."

Katara sighed and stomped out of the room, leaving the warrior to revel in his relief that she had given up. It was short-lived, though, as he had to follow her to the floor below.

"Hey, sleepyhead." Toph taunted when he entered the kitchen, "What took you so long?"

And so his morning continued on a rough patch. All through breakfast, Sokka was itching to tell the earthbender some of what Tara had told him. Certainly not all, if she hadn't told _him _until now, it must be a touchy subject. Toph didn't even know some of the details of the original story.

Still, he always had this need to tell someone. Finally, Sokka got his chance when they got to the marketplace and they all split up to buy different produce. Aang went off by himself, Katara and Hama left together, and he and Toph were stuck with each other. It always seemed to go along these lines, though Aang and Katara were usually paired together.

"So what's up?" Toph asked as she filled up a large basket with fruit, "You seem on edge this morning."

"Yeah." Sokka plucked up some produce and inspected each one carefully before placing them in a basket, "Tara told me some stuff last night."

"_More _stuff? You already know more than me. What's up with that, anyway?"

"It's complicated."

"_Obviously_,"

"Do you want to know or not?"

"Oh, you're actually going to tell me?"

"Yes!"

"Well, _sor_ry. I usually don't get told anything around you two."

"This is a big thing, though. See, this village is the one Tara grew up in."

Toph immediately stopped filling her basket for moment but soon began again.

"So, that's why she's not around."

"I guess so. I didn't really think about it."

"Yeah, she usually comes out in marketplaces, you know."

"I knew that!"

"Okay, okay. Calm down, Snoozles."

Sokka groaned in frustration before tying his two small baskets filled with food to the ends of his sword's sheath. He hoisted it onto his shoulder as a handy carrying technique while Toph held her large basket in place on the top of her head. They soon met up with Aang and began walking around in search of Katara and Hama.

He cleared his throat in anticipation. Sokka had to find out what was going on with Hama, but couldn't explain his suspicions. It's a good thing they were used to strange stuff or finding a way to bring it up would be difficult.

"People disappearing in the woods, weird stuff during full moons," he started strong, "This just reeks of Spirit World shenanigans."

"I bet if we take a little walk around town, we'll find out what these people did to the environment to make the spirits mad." Aang replied.

Sokka smiled, happy things were going as planned… or improvised on the spot, to be more specific.

"Then you can sew up this little mystery lickety-split, Avatar style." He went on with a hand gesture or two.

"Helping people," the airbender continued with a grin, "that's what we do."

Just then, they joined up with Katara and Hama.

"Why don't you all take these things back to the inn?" The old woman suggested warmly, "I just have to run a couple more errands. I'll be back in a little while."

And icy feeling chilled up Sokka's spine. Errands? What did she mean by that?

"This is a mysterious little town you have here." He stated as he leaned in close to her face.

Hama remained smiling as she responded.

"Mysterious town for mysterious children," she told them cryptically before turning around and walking away.

Sokka looked on in shock for a moment but was soon distracted by a sight in the corner of his eye. It was Tara, wearing her usual Fire Nation outfit. It was simple, really. She wore a red halter with a gold trim around the neck and an open back except for some strings that criss-crossed. Her bottom consisted of a short red skirt with gold trim on the edge and shoes that showed each one of her toes. Finally, she also wore simple red leggings that she had described to him as 'just perfect'.

Tara's flowing black hair was swept over one shoulder so that he could see one of her old golden earrings. Sokka remembered how happy she was when she could wear them again. She caught him looking and gave him a wink accompanied by a wide, slightly sad, smile.

"C'mon," he stated as he turned around and headed for the inn, "let's go."

As soon as they arrived in the kitchen, Sokka slammed the baskets onto the table.

"That Hama seems a little strange," he began, "like she knows something, or she's hiding something."

"That's ridiculous." Katara replied, "She's a nice woman who took us in and gave us a place to stay. She kind of reminds me of Gran Gran."

Sokka inwardly cringed at that last comment. He definitely did not agree.

"But what did she mean by that comment 'mysterious children?'" he persisted.

"Gee, I don't know." The waterbender said sarcastically, "Maybe because she found four strange kids camping in the woods at night. Isn't that a little mysterious?"

He looked at her for a moment before deciding not to dignify that question with an answer.

"I'm gonna take a look around."

Sokka walked up some nearby stairs, followed by the others.

"Sokka!" Katara exclaimed nervously, "Sokka, what are you doing? You can't just snoop around someone's house!"

But he didn't care. He just kept seeing Tara's sad smile and hearing her nervous laugh in his mind. He walked down the hall inspecting everything.

"It'll be fine." He reassured them.

"She could be home any minute." Aang told him.

"Sokka, you're going to get us all in trouble," Katara continued, "and it's just plain rude."

He came across a cabinet on one wall and immediately went to open it. It was a bit stuck so he pulled on it harder, determined to see what was inside,

"I'm not finished yet." He stated as he pulled even harder, "Come on…"

A split second later, the two doors opened with one swish and dozens of marionettes fell forward. The whole gang yelped in surprise and Sokka fell against the ground, pulled out his sword, and held it out towards the puppets that were held back only by their strings. Sokka breathed heavily, not liking the wooden faces that stared back at him _at all_.

"Okay," Aang finally spoke up, "that's pretty creepy."

"So she has a hobby." Katara said, though less demanding than before, as she closed the cabinet doors, "There's nothing weird about that. Sokka, you've looked enough. Hama will be back soon."

He continued ignoring his sister as he stood up, put back his sword, and headed up the next flight of stairs. They led to an empty attic except for one door. Sokka immediately went towards it, feeling suspicious. When he tried the door, thought, it was locked.

"Just an ordinary puppet-loving innkeeper, huh?" he questioned as the rest of the group came up, "Then why does she have a locked door in here?"

"Probably to keep people like you from snooping through her stuff!" Katara replied angrily, hands on her hips.

"We'll see." Sokka said skeptically as he peered through the keyhole, "It's empty except for a little chest."

The small chest sat in the center of the room, busy being bathed in sunlight that beamed in from a window.

"Maybe it's treasure!" Toph said excitedly.

He stepped back with a smile and began trying to the pick the lock with his sword. It was doubtful that the chest contained any sort of treasure but his gut said that there was definitely a big clue inside it. There just had to be.

"Sokka, what are you doing?" Katara persisted, "You're breaking into a private room!"

"I have to see what's in there."

There was a click and the door swung opened.

"We shouldn't be doing this." Aang stated as they all walked inside the room anyway.

Sokka picked up the chest and tried to pry it open, but it was also locked. Why was everything locked?

"Maybe there's a key here somewhere." He said optimistically.

"Oh, hand it over." Toph responded exasperatedly.

She took it from his hands and slid her bracelet made of meteor from her wrist. The earthbender molded it into a key of some sort and set it inside the keyhole. She fumbled it around and the effort could be seen on her face, but Sokka felt an anxious feeling welling up.

"Come on, come _on_." He urged Toph on.

"This isn't as easy as it looks." She replied.

"Guys, I don't know about this." The airbender said nervously.

"This is crazy." His sister informed them, "I'm leaving."

"Suit yourself." He answered, knowing that she wouldn't actually go, "Do it, Toph."

A moment later, another click was heard and the whole gang rushed up to the chest, eager to see what was inside. The siblings both slowly lifted the lid in anticipation before a single voice rang out over the commotion.

"I'll tell you what's in the box." Hama said calmly.

All four teens yelled in shock and turned around to face the old woman. Sokka hid the chest behind his back instinctively but immediately held it out for her to take after realizing his mistake. He didn't trust Hama, but maybe he did go a bit overboard.

Without another word, she opened the lid and slowly lifted the object in it. The gang huddled together anxiously.

"An old comb?" Sokka cried out in disbelief.

Yet, there was something different about the comb, something familiar. He could see it was blue and white, which was strange for the Fire Nation.

"It's my greatest treasure." Hama explained forlornly, "It's the last thing I owned from growing up in the Southern Water Tribe."

Sokka blinked in shock. Now he saw that the comb was made of whale bone. She was from the water tribe, _his _water tribe. This was crazy. Hama couldn't be from the same place he was. All of a sudden, he wondered if Tara was somehow watching this happen and what she was thinking if so.

Would she be freaking out? Would she be standing there in shock like he was? But does it make a difference? Certainly, this was a big secret, but it didn't explain what Tara had seen so long ago or the disappearance of the original innkeeper.

"You're from the Southern Water Tribe?" Katara finally repeated to clarify.

"Just like you." Hama replied.

Sokka didn't like how the old woman compared herself to his sister. It set an uneasy feeling in his stomach.

"How did you know?" she asked.

Oh, right. He forgot that was hidden information for a few seconds.

"I heard you talking around your campfire."

Creepy. Was she _spying _on them?

"But why didn't you tell us?" Sokka interrogated her.

"I wanted to surprise you." She said warmly, "I bought all this food today so I could fix you a big Water Tribe dinner. Of course, I can't get all the ingredients I need here, but ocean kumquats are a lot like sea prunes, if you stew them long enough."

"Great." Aang stated in disgust.

"I knew I felt a bond with you right away." Katara said excitedly.

Yes, Sokka would like to taste the food he grew up with again, but he knew it wouldn't really be the same. Despite this new information, he didn't feel any better. Something about the way his sister gushed over the woman made him feel like beating her up, even if she was old.

"And I knew you were keeping a secret, so I guess we were both right." He smiled in an attempt to act happy, before Katara punched him in the arm, "But I'm sorry we were sneaking around."

"Apology accepted." Hama responded, "Now let's get cooking."

She waved a hand, signaling them all to follow her downstairs. Sokka did so reluctantly, not liking the idea of cooking. Aang and Toph did the same, but Katara was so overjoyed she rushed after the old woman with enthusiasm.

Hama instructed them to do all kinds of things involving cutting up the produce, boiling water, and other stuff that he had never actually done before. Needless to say, it wasn't long before he was kicked out of the kitchen. Not that he was upset about it.

Sokka headed down into the village and walked aimlessly around, not focusing on much of anything. Soon, though, he got to thinking. Did Tara walk down this same path when she was a little girl? Was that her house over here? Or maybe the one over there? But wait, she had a farm. Well, it was around here somewhere. And still, it felt weird to think these things. Sokka knew she had a life before it all got messed up, he knew that whole story, but he didn't know much else.

Were there any simple stories of a perfect day with her family? Was there a family friend in this village somewhere, one who may still miss her and her parents to this day? Maybe she had a friend her age that she had to leave behind. These were the things that Sokka suddenly felt like he should ask Tara. They never seemed important to him before, except maybe during the time he'd spent thinking he'd never see her again. But when they were reunited everything started happening fast. All of a sudden, he was leaving to see his father and Tara chose to stay behind with Zuko.

Zuko. It's been a while since Sokka had thought of him. Just then, he remembered that Tara had been living with him and Iroh for the short time she spent in Ba Sing Se. He had never asked what had happened during that time, and he found himself worrying that something had. Did that have anything to do Tara's strangeness? Of course, she was getting better as the days went by.

At that moment, while he was walking down a rough path on the outskirts of the village, Tara jumped down from a nearby tree and ran to him.

"Sokka!" she called happily, "You're early."

"Well, they tried to make me cook."

"You?"

He nodded.

"Hama tried to get _you _to _cook_?"

"Yes." Instantly, she burst into laughs, "I didn't think I was that bad."

"Are you so sure?" she mocked.

"You've never seen me cook!"

"No, but… you just can't do it, Sokka. Don't ever try again."

"Whatever. It's not like I was enjoying it."

"Cool. So, did you find anything out about Hama?"

"Yeah. Get this. She grew up in the South Pole."

"_What!_" Tara exclaimed, "She's _Water Tribe_? Wha-bu-how is that possible?"

"Don't know." He said, "At least not yet. I intend to get the whole story tonight."

"Oh, Sokka, you're not going all detective again, are you?" she accused playfully.

"I do love a little mystery." He replied with a sly grin.

Tara laughed as they continued walking. She jumped up on the trail of stones that lined the pathway, spreading out her arms to steady herself. Sokka stifled a small laugh as a gust of wind blew her long hair into her face and she struggled to stay up. All of a sudden, the pathway ended at a small but quaint-looking house surrounded by fields.

Tara stopped dead in her tracks. He looked at her as she stared out at the house, as if transfixed.

"Tara?" Sokka asked worriedly.

She didn't respond, but instead stepped off the stones and bolted to the house.

"Tara!" he called as he ran after her.

She broke open the door with a swift kick and dashed inside. Sokka all but hit her as he dashed into it too. What was up with her? He glanced at her face, though, and realization dawned.

This was her house, her home. He could only imagine what memories were haunting her in here. Not a moment after he thought this, she brought her hands to her face and suppressed a sob. She walked slowly to the nearest chair and sat down. He knelt next to her and cautiously laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Are you okay?" Sokka whispered.

She merely shook her head. He cleared his throat.

"It looks like some different people live here now." He told her nervously.

Tara stood up quickly and turned around to face the door with her hands up to her face in shock.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm _so _sorry." She mumbled.

Sokka stood back up and saw that a short woman with a large basket of produce in her arms was standing in the doorway. He opened his mouth but didn't know what to say. Luckily, the woman smiled and stepped inside.

"Can I help you?" she asked kindly as she placed the basket on a table.

Tara and Sokka exchanged a glance.

"Sorry, we got a little mixed up." He said finally, grabbing her arm and taking a small step backwards.

The woman squinted her amber eyes and then opened them wide in shock.

"I know you!" she exclaimed as she pointed at Tara.

"No, you don't." Sokka stated at the same time the firebender asked, "You do?"

The woman ignored the warrior and smiled wider.

"I'll be right back." She told them.

"We should leave now." He advised Tara.

"Why?" she demanded.

"This is too weird."

"Too weird?"

"Yes!"

But at that moment, the woman walked inside the front room again, this time holding a small wooden box.

"Sit down." She suggested, "Make yourselves comfortable."

Despite his anxious feeling, Sokka sat on a cushion on the floor and Tara sat beside him. The woman sat with them and placed the box in her lap.

"All these things were here when we moved in." she informed as she took out some items, "My husband was going to throw them away but I made sure we kept the things that seemed… I don't know, worth keeping." She handed a picture to Tara, "I recognized you from this, although you are much bigger now."

Sokka leaned over to peer at the picture and saw that it was a black and white family portrait. A man with neck-length hair was standing next to a tall woman with slightly longer hair and a dusting of freckles across her cheekbones. In front of them stood a small smiling girl with long hair that reached down to her waist. The whole family was obviously wearing their best, which was basically only slightly nicer than normal clothing.

He knew right away that it was Tara and her parents. Sokka was amazed at how much her mother looked like her. If it wasn't for her absence of freckles, they would almost be identical.

"You are the little girl, right?" the woman finally spoke up.

"Yeah." Tara responded softly, "I remember when this was painted. My mother was so obsessed with it, saying it was an important opportunity that we might not get again. Really, she was just getting one because her brother was for him and my cousin. I know we spent a lot of money on it. But my mom just kept saying how nice it'll look in the front room and how I could see it and remember her. I still don't get why she would say that, though _now_ it seems creepy."

That _is _creepy. Sokka looked at the picture again, imagining Tara as a little girl posing for the painter impatiently. The painting captured her mischievous grin that meant that she was probably planning something. He pictured her back then, waiting out the long time posing thinking about funny things to do afterwards. It was definitely something she would do.

"Go ahead and keep that." The woman told them, "And these other things, too."

Tara rolled the portrait back up hesitantly and put it in a hidden pocket. She took the box gingerly from the woman and reopened it a tiny bit but then slammed it closed again.

"Tara?" he inquired worriedly as he placed a cautious hand on her shoulder.

All of a sudden, she stood up with the box in such a firm grip in her two hands that her fingers were turning white.

"Thank you." She said to the woman so quietly it was almost inaudible.

"Of course," she replied with a slight nod, pity evident in her dull amber eyes.

"I-I've gotta go." Tara went on softly, "I'll see you later, Sokka."

She left in a brisk run, leaving him by himself in a stranger's house. He took a step forward but decided that she needed to be alone, which was weird. The firebender usually took every chance _not _to be alone.

The warrior sighed and turned to the woman.

"Uh, thanks for everything." He said and then headed for the door.

"You will take care of her, right?" She instructed, obviously feeling sorry for Tara.

"Don't worry," he replied, "I am."

She smiled warmly, which Sokka returned, before leaving the house that he knew for Tara was scarier than anything else in this town.

**Tara POV**

As night settled over the town, Tara shoved the box of unwanted memories into her already overstuffed bag. She rested her face into the downy texture of Kokoro's coat and screamed in frustration. A moment later, she lifted her head and lay on the cool grass, staring at the endless sea of stars and the almost full moon.

"This sucks, Kokoro." She finally stated, "I want to leave and never come back. How about you?"

The Vulture-Griffin didn't respond, which was to be expected, but didn't help Tara in the least. She placed both her hands on her face and groaned. Deciding it was best to just not think about anything for awhile, she closed her eyes and went to sleep.

Tara awoke to the sounds of footsteps. She sat up and rubbed one of her eyes. Kokoro was gone, she noticed, probably on a midnight hunt for a few berry bushes, or something.

"Sokka?" she called still in a drowsy state.

"Actually, it's Hama." a kind old voice crept into her mind.

She blinked and jumped up, settling into a fighting stance.

"What do you want?" she demanded.

The old woman smiled thoughtfully and unclasped her hands.

"Don't you remember me?" she asked innocently.

"Yeah, perfectly."

"Is it so impossible to say hello to an old friend?"

Tara swallowed, not sure of what to say.

"I know it's you who's responsible for the missing people."

"Do you? Are you sure?"

"Yes." She said after some hesitation.

Tara had no proof. She hadn't even seen Hama do anything, but she just knew in her gut that it was true. The old woman smiled, but this one was grim and… evil-looking. It was like a monster's grin from a story, but not one of Sokka's.

"I normally wouldn't take someone without the aid of the full moon," Hama snarled, "but this is an emergency. I can't have you spilling any secrets."

"What?" Tara uttered before a sheet of hard water smacked her in the chest, sending her to the ground.

She recovered quickly and shot a few short plumes of fire at the old woman. She lifted a screen of water from the grass effortlessly in front of her and the fire vanished on contact.

"You can't beat a master waterbender like me, Tara." She taunted, "I'd give up now."

Not bothering to respond, she shot an unending rope of fire at her and hung on to one end with her hands. Hama smirked as she quickly placed her hand on a nearby tree and covered her hand in water. With this hand, she grabbed the other end of fiery rope as it whipped towards her. A second later, Hama slammed her end to the ground and the force pushed Tara down with it.

As Hama sent wave after wave of freezing water onto the still-down firebender, she enveloped herself in a thin sheet of fire, thereby protecting herself. Tara cringed each time a new attack was deflected by her shield.

"Give up, girl." Hama persuaded as she took slow steps towards her, "You can't hold on forever."

Yeah. She was afraid of that.

Soon, a heavy crash of water broke through her fiery shield and slammed Tara flat against the ground. It also thoroughly soaked her. She tried to recover but another wave smacked her down again. She gasped for breath, but exhaustion and continuous watery attacks left her straining.

It wasn't long before she was sinking into wet unconsciousness.

But it didn't last long. Tara soon awoke to Hama binding her hands together with rough rope. She struggled a bit, but was still too tired to really do anything. She knew she could burn out of the rope if she wanted, but she also knew that she would never win a fight with Hama immediately following another one, if she could at all.

The old woman heaved her up and made her walk beside her towards the mountain.

"Why are you doing this?" Tara asked angrily.

"Why?" Hama responded with malice, "Because the Fire Nation deserved to be punished, that's why. It's justice in the very least."

"Justice?" she exclaimed in disbelief, "These people haven't done anything. Not all Fire Nation people are out to kill others. They're not all bad, most of them aren't. And even if you think so, you didn't always treat _me _like this."

"You were a child the last time I met you. There was a chance I could teach you the right way of things. If you would've stayed here, you could've eventually turned your back on your people and helped me with this, even with your firebending abilities. But when Yon Rha took you away, I knew that you would be turned into another monster." She huffed, "He's not even your father."

"What do you mean?" Tara asked quietly, an icy chillness creeping up her spine, "Of course he's my father. I mean, who else would he be?"

"Oh, of course. My bad." Hama went on, "All I know is that Yon Rha lived here far longer than your mother and uncle. When they showed up, along with you and Levi as no more than a few months old, everybody was curious. I knew there was more to them, I knew it right away. They never said much, though. … Poor Ezra. First his sister dies, then Yon Rha takes you away, and then his son is sent on a delivery through the woods on a full moon night. Quit unfortunate."

Maybe the information about her mother should've been most on Tara's mind, but it wasn't. At that moment, dread filled Tara as memories came back to her of best friend when she was little. He was the one she would plan crazy things with and annoy their parents endlessly. He was always funny and carefree. Leaving him was incredibly difficult, yet she had never thought about him much since. All of a sudden, she was racked with guilt… and fury.

"What did you do with Levi?" she asked.

"Don't worry. Just the same thing I'm doing with you."

At that moment, they reached a dark cave in the side of the mountain. Hama pushed Tara in first and they were soon enveloped in complete blackness. The old woman led her through, obviously knowing the way, until they came to a large metal door with two lit torches on either side. She pulled out a key and took an agonizingly slow time opening the door.

When it opened, Tara gasped at the sight of at least twenty people chained to the walls of a medium sized room. Towards the back of the room, it was almost pitch black as the only light flooded in from the torches. The people all looked up for a moment, then some turned away ashamed while others gave Hama a menacing glare. No one said a word and Tara wondered if there was a reason.

Hama led her to the back and motioned for her to sit down. She pulled her arms up over her head and locked the shackles to a chain hanging from the wall.

"You won't get away with this." Tara informed with a smirk.

"Oh, you think your friend will rescue you, huh? I have half a mind to tell the others of your existence, but I'm still contemplating the best moment. For now, count yourself lucky that I sat you next to an old friend."

Hama turned around and headed out. As she did, Tara stuck her tongue out at her. It was definitely childish, but also very satisfying. As soon as the old woman left, and the room was plunged into darkness, she looked at the guy next to her who was staring at her. She blinked a few times to help her eyes adjust until she could just make out his face.

"Tara?" he asked cautiously, a ghost of a smile making its way onto his face.

"The one and only," she replied happily, "Uh, you are Levi, right? 'Cause that'd be embarrassing if you weren't."

He laughed weakly.

"You bet it's me. How'd you get here? Where have you been? What's happened? Why are you here the night _before _the full moon?"

"Whoa! Hold up. That's a lot of questions."

Despite her situation, Tara couldn't stop smiling. Was this a problem? No. She had been reunited with her cousin, and that was amazing. Even if it did happen through the work of a crazy old woman. And, even with the darkness, she could see that Levi had changed a lot over the course of eight years.

His black hair, once sort of long for a guy, had been cropped short so that it reminded her of Zuko's hair while they were in Ba Sing Se. Of course, he had grown much taller and his face had lost its baby fat and was quite angular. Tara noticed his thin body, but contributed it to imprisonment which probably was a good assumption. There were things that stayed the same, though, like the mole on his right cheekbone. His amber eyes still flickered in endless amusement as if there was a small fire always burning behind them.

People had always said that Levi and Tara had the same eyes, that special kind of amber. She had never really thought about it.

"Well," he prompted, "Are you going to answer them anyway?"

She snapped out of her reverie and grinned at him.

"Fine. Let's see… in order, Hama captured me and then brought me here. I have been around the world. Gosh, a lot has happened. And, Hama thought it was too risky having me around for another day."

"Too risky? Still getting into trouble, I see. And what do you mean you've been around the world? You do know there's a war going on, right?"

"War? Yeah, I've come across it a few times. Shouldn't be around for much longer though."

Levi furrowed his eyebrows and adopted a serious expression.

"You think so? I guess since Ba Sing Se's been captured we've kind of got it in the bag, huh? Although, we've still got the water tribes to look out for, and after the failure in the north… I don't know."

Tara blinked a few times before laughing nervously.

"Good one, Levi. The Fire Nation's _totally_ got this war in the bag."

She laughed again but then stopped when she saw his confused face.

"You _were _being sarcastic, right?" she asked.

"No. Don't you want the Fire Lord to win?"

"No!" Tara exclaimed in shock, "I don't Ozai killing innocent people and ripping families apart. How could you want that? He gonna destroy every other culture but our own. He's selfish and power-hungry."

"How you could you say that?" Levi dropped into a whisper as if he were afraid of her treasonous words, "Fire Lord Ozai wants to share our wealth an-and _great_ness with the rest of the world."

"If he wanted to share greatness then why would he kill people who got in his way? How do you explain that?"

"Well, I don't understand politics but I'm sure it's reasonable. And I'm sure he doesn't _rip _families apart. You always did exaggerate."

"Exaggerate? You think I'm exaggerating? My best friend's mother was killed because of Ozai's orders just because he wanted to wipe out any waterbenders. I had another friend whose whole family, his mother, his father, and his little brother, was murdered along with most of his town just for being there. And the avatar, who I'm sure you think has somehow gone evil which makes no sense, lost all of his people, everything he'd ever known, because Sozin wanted to make sure no one got in his way of taking over the world."

"Those are lies." He insisted, though his voice was slightly shaky and his flickering eyes revealed doubt, "They have to be lies."

"Well, what do you know? I've been throughout the whole Earth Kingdom and to both Water Tribes. The people hate the Fire Nation and anyone in it because of what they've done and what they know they will do. Okay, I've seen the ruins of the Air Nomads. So don't tell me those are lies, not when you've seen so little. I mean, what did they tell these things in _school_? I may never have gotten old enough to learn anything hard-core in there but I know what they say. I've heard. Come on, Levi. You're smarter then _this_. I know you are. Maybe it's against all that you've been told but you've got to believe me. Please."

He shrunk down as far as he possibly could and looked away. Tara wasn't sure if this was a good sign or a bad one. She probably shouldn't have gotten so angry, and then so pleading. She just hadn't realized…

She had never thought about what leaving her cousin behind meant, that he'd be subjected to the Fire Nation's corrupt education system. When Aang had gone to that school for about two days and told them about the lies being told, she never thought twice about it. Tara figured it was just another terrible thing Ozai was doing, this time to keep his own people from rebelling, which it was.

But Levi grew up with that. Who was she to tell him otherwise? A long-lost cousin, the same age, who suddenly shows up after eight years after not getting any proper education and decides to tell him all of her thoughts?

It was insane to think that he'd believe her, that anyone would. But then Levi looked up at her, sad amber eyes boring into hers, and said one word.

"Really?"

It was a whisper, barely there, but it made her smile hopefully. Tara nodded enthusiastically and gave him a reassuring look. After seeing this, he let out a sigh and leaned his head against the wall.

"That's crazy. That's so… ugh, hard to think about."

"I know, I know. It was hard when I found out too. You think I didn't think my country was always doing good? Of course, I was, like, nine when I realized the truth. It's probably worse when you're sixteen."

"Yeah. I mean I had doubted it before, but this is a weird feeling."

"You doubted it?"

"Of course. My dad had always taught me that the Air Nomads were a peaceful people who did a bunch of peaceful things. Then I learned that, a hundred years ago, we defeated their army. I never thought they had an army."

"No, they didn't. It was genocide when the Fire Nation attacked. They drove the airbenders almost to extinction. Uncle Ezra was telling you the right stuff. I wonder how he knew."

"Don't know. So, you act like you've got a lot of non-Fire Nation friends. And that one who lost his whole family? You said 'had', you '_had _a friend'. What does that mean?"

Tara swallowed and looked away.

"He was killed."

"By us?"

"No, the Fire Nation surprisingly didn't kill him. It was this whole corruption thing in Ba Sing Se, kind of confusing. Stupid Long Feng was power-hungry. If it wasn't for his manipulation weakening the city, we might not have lost Ba Sing Se. Of course, that wasn't the only factor."

"You know, you keep saying 'they' or just 'the Fire Nation'."

"So?"

"I never really thought about it, but I usually say 'we'."

"Oh."

"Not that it really matters, I was just thinking. I'm assuming it's been a long time since you've thought of yourself as part of the Fire Nation."

"No, I always think that. Sometimes it's hard to hide in the parts of the world that hate these golden eyes." She suppressed a laugh, "It can get annoying."

"I bet you hate being Fire Nation, huh?"

"Well, no, uh. No, I like firebending. I don't think there's any other element for me. And the country? Bee-you-ti-full!"

"But the people?"

"Gee, Levi, when did you get so patriotic?"

"When did you get so defensive?"

"When did you get so serious?"

"When did you get so anti-Fire Nation?"

"When did you get so many dang questions?"

"Oh, I don't know. Being locked in cave for two months gives me lots of time to think. What have you been doing for the last few months?"

Tara opened her mouth, but then closed it. She turned away from him sharply, letting the motion send her hair over her ear and into her face so that she couldn't even see Levi out of the corner of her eye.

She should probably apologize, yet there was fat chance of that happening. Usually, she would when someone brought up something like imprisonment up during an argument. If it was Sokka, she would.

But this was _Levi_, her counterpart. He was so much like her, it became hard to bear. When they were younger it was their advantage. Now, it was disorienting. She knew he wouldn't say anything more either.

Which meant Tara was left to her thoughts, more specifically Levi's last question. In the last two months, she had traveled through the Fire Nation doing whatever. The time even stretched back to the gang's two weeks on the captured ship and her lonely, self-hating period. Yet, during all that time, Levi had been locked up here.

Her arms' position was causing them to ache already and the chains were digging into her wrists uncomfortably. How long had she been here? She would send a pitiful glance Levi's way was she not so stubborn.

As more time went by, her mind drifted back to what Hama had said about her mother. Was her father really not her father after all? Then again, it just could've been a trick to throw her off.

But what if it wasn't? And what did she mean when she said that there was more to her mother and uncle? Tara guessed it was sort of weird for them to show up in the town with two babies. Maybe they were from an Earth Kingdom colony that was taken back over. That would be cool.

Yet it didn't seem right. And there was still that awful feeling of 'he's not your father' in the back of her mind. All this time afraid of what her father did… when he might not even be her real one.

At some point, she fell asleep. It's not like she remembered even feeling tired, but it wasn't surprising that she felt that way. It had been a long day and she wasn't sure how much sleep she got before Hama's rude awakening.

But suddenly, she felt herself waking up to a pounding on the metal door. By the time her eyes adjusted, Toph, Sokka, and Aang had already busted inside, no doubt using Toph's super amazing metalbending abilities. Tara winced from the sudden torchlight but then smiled widely. It's too bad she couldn't say anything because of Aang presence.

"We're saved." Some guy called out wearily.

"I didn't know spirits made prisons like this." Aang said doubtfully, "Who brought you here?"

"It was no spirit." a woman said with disdain as Toph began using her meteorite bracelet to free her.

"It was a witch." another man added.

"A witch?" Sokka asked as his eyes seemed to search the room, "What do you mean?"

"She seems like a normal old woman," a guy answered, "but she controls people like some dark puppetmaster."

"Hama!" Sokka exclaimed in sudden rage.

"Yes, the innkeeper." The first man confirmed.

"I knew there was something creepy about her." The warrior claimed as he locked eyes with Tara.

She gave a him an 'I'm fine, stupid' smile and he didn't respond, probably not wanting to show any happiness in this situation.

"We have to stop Hama!" Aang cried urgently and Tara suddenly realized that Katara was absent.

"I'll get these people out of here." Toph offered, "You go."

Without another word, the guys left and the earthbender quickly made her way around the cave, freeing everybody. Tara and Levi exchanged a glance of happiness, their fight momentarily forgotten.

"Hey, Tara." Toph said when she got to her, "Sokka was freaking out, you know. Why do you always disappear?"

"Not _always_." She laughed, rubbing her newly freed wrists, "And, Toph, this is my cousin, Levi."

"Hello, there." He smiled as she struggled with his chains.

"Oh, great. Are you as annoying as Tara?"

"Probably more." He said with a mockingly serious expression.

Tara stretched as she got up and then helped Levi to stand, as he was shaky after the long time sitting.

"You, my friend, need some new clothing." She commented jokingly once she got a good look at his tattered outfit.

"What? I think this could be a new trend."

"In your dreams,"

"So," Levi addressed Toph as she finished up freeing the last person, "Did you meet Tara on her travels?"

The earthbender pulled her makeshift key out of the lock with a click and then put it back on her arm as a bracelet once again. Levi stared at her in momentary awe, probably also realizing her blindness for the first time as she turned straight towards them for the first time. Her cloudy eyes stared past them.

"He doesn't know much, does he?" Toph asked Tara.

"Definitely less than you."

"What?" he asked in confusion.

The two girls chose to ignore him and Tara only hoped he wouldn't persist. She'd tell him eventually, of course, just like everybody else. The former prisoners all stood around rubbing their sore wrists and stretching their aching muscles and she felt a sudden urge to do something.

"Hey!" Tara called out, "Are you guys just going to go back to town like nothing happened?"

The people all looked at her and then at each other.

"Yeah!" Toph joined in, "Are you going to let Hama get away?"

The woman who spoke earlier grabbed a torch from a nearby guy.

"They're right. Let's arrest Hama for all of her horrible deeds! She's the one who needs to be imprisoned!"

The others all yelled their agreement and headed for the forest.

"I'll see you later." Toph said off-handedly before running to the front of the group.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Levi asked with a mischievous smirk.

"That I've always wanted to be part of an angry mob?" Tara answered.

"Exactly."

The cousins ran after the group as they headed down the mountain in a fury of revenge-seeking.

"Let's get to the front to get in on the real action." Levi cried, "I need to review my firebending after all this time."

"Uh, let's not."

"What? Why not?"

"It could turn dangerous, don't you think?"

"And?"

"Let's just not, okay?"

"Alright." He gave in reluctantly, "But that's not much like you at all."

The mob eventually comes to what looks like the end of a fight. Katara was obviously in a bending stance, but Tara didn't see any water being manipulated. Then she noticed the rigid form of Hama kneeling on the ground. Sokka and Aang stood awkwardly in the background, Sokka's sword at his side.

Most of the mob surrounded Hama and someone used one of the shackles used on them to bind her hands behind her back.

"You're going to be locked away forever." A guy stated angrily as he forced her to stand.

Tara glanced at Sokka and Aang standing protectively around Katara as she looked on slightly, Toph also at Aang's side. As two of the people led Hama away, the old woman turned her head back.

"My work is done." She said in an eerie tone, "Congratulations, Katara. You're a bloodbender."

Tara's eyes widened and stole another quick glance at the gang. Katara had fallen to her knees where, though her hands were at her face, you could tell she was in tears. Aang and Sokka crouched down and tried to comfort her.

Tara shivered and looked away. That's how Hama was kidnapping people so easily, how she controlled them. She was bending their blood. It was disgusting. She turned towards Levi who gave her a sad look.

"Hama's a waterbender." He stated quietly.

"Yeah."

He visibly shook a little before Tara grasped his arms gently.

"Felt weird, huh?"

He nodded.

"I want to go see my father." Levi said as his tone was forcibly brightened, "Are you going to come?"

She released his arm and thought about it for a moment. She'd like to see her Uncle Ezra, but from the way things looked the gang wouldn't want to stay much longer.

"I wish I could." She told him honestly, "But I must move on. You know, you could come with me. You could see the world, too, like we talked about as kids. I know you were just freed and all but…"

"I don't know, Tara. I wouldn't want to leave my father by himself again."

"True, true. Oh, it was a stupid idea. But, uh, I'll be at the inn for a little if you change your mind."

"Alright. I guess it'd goodbye again, then?"

"Yeah, say hi to your dad, 'kay?"

"Right. I'm gonna miss you, though. I _have _missed you."

"Aww. Ditto. I'll see you again. When this war is over and Ozai is defeated, I'll be back. Maybe then we can see the world together."

He laughed.

"Maybe? Oh, it's a definite thing. Mark your calendar because I'll be very upset if you forget. For now, though, bye, Tara."

"Bye, Levi."

They hugged for a moment and she looked into his fiery, flickering eyes that reflected his personality so well. Then, she turned away and began walking towards town. For a nostalgic moment, she looked back to see him still smiling at her. Tara gasped slightly as she saw his eyes.

They were amber, just amber. No small fire resided behind them, no flickering light was present. They were perfectly regular amber.

She began walking again, pushing strange wondering thoughts of Saol, Burijji, and a special message out of her head.

**Sokka POV**

Despite protests to leave the memory behind, Katara insisted on staying the rest of the night at Hama's inn. They were all asleep now, thought it had taken longer than usual for his sister, he knew.

Sokka tip-toed out of the inn and was heading for the forest when he spotted a moving figure go behind the nearby barn where Appa and Momo were. He smiled and changed direction.

He found Tara leaning against Kokoro's soft body looking up at the moon. She wore a sad expression.

"What happened?" he asked.

"Oh, lots of stuff." She replied, though she still hadn't looked at him, "I got kidnapped by Hama, was told some weird things that were possibly lies, was reunited with my long-lost cousin, was freed from my imprisonment, discovered another creepy thing about Hama, said goodbye to my cousin again, and had my hopes crushed by him. That's all."

"That is a lot." He commented as he sad beside her, "What did you want him to do?"

"I was hoping Levi would join us. It was insane, though, because he'd never leave his father, especially after two months being kept away from him. It was unfair of me even to ask."

"Yeah, but you still had to ask, right?"

She sighed.

"Yeah. I really did."

"What stuff did Hama tell you that was weird? I mean if you know they were lies then why are you thinking about it?"

"Well, I don't know if it's a lie or not. She never did lie to us, Sokka. Think about it. She didn't say she was the kidnapper, but it's not like she outright said she wasn't. Right?"

"I guess so."

A few minutes passed with the pair just staring at the night sky. He didn't want to interrupt her thoughts. He knew it would come out eventually.

"She said that my father isn't… well, my father."

Panic welled up inside him and he tried to swallow it down nervously.

"Really?"

"Yeah. She said that my mom and uncle arrived in this town with Levi and I as babies and that's when my parents met. Kind of unfathomable, huh? That I've been hiding because of a deed done by a man who might not even by my real dad?"

For the first time, she looked at him, confusion written all over her face.

"What is it?" she asked, "You look _pretty _troubled."

"Uh, how do I say this?"

"Say what?"

"Do you remember when I was captured by the panda spirit?"

"You mean Hei Bei? Yeah, I remember. Why?"

"And I was in the Spirit World for, like, a day?"

"Yes, Sokka. Get on with it."

"I remembered what happened." He blurted out way too fast.

Tara's eyes widened in interest.

"Really? What happened?"

"Well, it's all a bit hazy, but I met some woman… I can't really remember her name. She had weird yellow-golden hair and perfect teeth. It was kind of disorienting. And she talked real fancy-like."

"Saol." Tara uttered in shock.

"Yeah! That's it! Wait… how'd you know?"

"Lucky guess?"

They looked at each and, at any other time, Sokka would've totally pursued it, but since what he was saying would totally put _him _in the doghouse, so he decided it was best brought up later.

"Anyway, she said some strange stuff, only two things were important, though. One was… well, she told me that he wasn't your real father."

"You mean you knew?" Tara said in shock and then her voice got louder, "All this time, you knew!"

"I only remembered the day we came to the Fire Nation. It was really weird, Tara. And I'm sorry I haven't told you until now, but it just never seemed like the right time."

"It wasn't the right time? Maybe you should ask _me_ if it's the right time! That's information about _me_, about _my_ life! Why should _you_ decide when it's the right time?"

"Because I care about you, Tara. Believe it or not, I do. Remember when I was telling Toph how when my mom died Katara kind of took her place? Don't act like you don't, because I know you must've heard. Well, Katara will always be my real sister and but when she stopped being the fun one I did stupid things with… you replaced her. I care about you just as much as I care about her. I just can't show it all the time. You are my sister, too. And… I love you for it."

He swallowed, not believing he had actually said all of that. A strange, awkward moment followed. Tara looked at him as though she was deciding whether she should still be angry or not.

Suddenly, to his relief, she pulled him into a tight embrace.

"I love you, too, Sokka," she whispered in his ear, "for being the brother I never wanted."

They laughed as they pulled apart and Sokka smiled as he caught her wiping an eye.

"So," Tara began once she recovered, "what was the second thing?"

His happy spirits plummeted and turned anxious again. Yet, he knew he'd have to say it anyway.

"Saol said that message, the one the creepy girl from circus told you. You know, the one about the lily. Once is weird. Twice, once from a spirit… it's uncanny."

"So you think it means something." She said, shock evident in her voice.

It wasn't a question but he answered anyway.

"Oh, yeah. It means something. I just don't know what."

**YES! HAHA! YES! I finished it! *happy dance* I actually finished it! At… 22 pages. Something tells me this is my longest chapter yet. **

**So much revealed. My head is reeling. I should really start thinking out the finale. **

**Well, I hope this was worth the wait. I'm super happy with it. This is a favorite episode of mine, despite it revolving so much around Katara, my least favorite person in the entire fictional universe of ATLA (Except for Haru, I'm not sure why I hate him. I just do. Especially after he grows that mustache. Bad move, dude. Why, oh why, did you do that?).**

**So, please review. I would really enjoy some. Constructive criticism is encouraged. I need all the help I can get. If I get a review, I'll do a totally weirded out happy dance, one that will put all other happy dances to shame. I'll even mention you in the next author's note. **

**Thanks for reading, as always! *adopting tv announcer voice* And so ends this installment of The Stowaway. *Law and Order noise also known as … okay, I don't know how to explain it but I trust that you know what I'm talking about***


	19. The Western Air Temple

**This episode marks the beginning of an era, the epic Zuko-Field-Trip Era. From now on, big secrets and feelings will be revealed each chapter. Also, a song quote will accompany each one. And we'll be starting with…**

The Western Air Temple

Tara, back in her Fire Lilly get-up, sat cross-legged on the wooden floor of the war balloon, eyeing Zuko curiously. He was standing at the front of the vessel, one hand clutching a rope attached to the point and the other resting on the balloon's edge. Tara couldn't help but think of how epic a stance that was as he stared out at the never-ending sky, the line of clouds below them.

Soon, Zuko turned around to face her, wearing an expression filled with uncertainty.

"So," he began.

"So," she replied with a slight smile, "what's your plan?"

"We're going to talk about that now?" Zuko asked.

"I don't see why not. Why, is there something else you want to talk about?"

The prince blinked.

"No."

Tara swallowed.

"Of course!" she exclaimed, raising her arms in the air dramatically, "Anti-emotions Zuko doesn't want to talk about that one day in Ba Sing Se. It was one day! What, do you regret it? Go ahead and say it, I don't care. I'd rather know. You were probably all overly happy from your metamorphosis sickness. Not that that worked out so well in the end."

Oh, that probably wasn't a good idea. He looked pretty upset as he raised a shaky hand to point at her, as if he was about to start shouting angrily, and opened his mouth. But something stopped him.

"You know I wish I could go back to Ba Sing Se and stay on the right side." He responded quietly, but with a force behind his voice that was only just being restrained, "You were right when you yelled at me back in the catacombs. There, I'm sure you wanted to hear that." He laughed drily then, shaking his head. "I didn't belong there at all, Lilly. I don't think I've belonged there for a long time."

Tara finally stood then, seeing the pain in his face. How could she have been so terrible! Yes, let's yell at the angst-ridden teenage boy who just realized his true path but is still so confused and conflicted and definitely still feeling guilty about his past actions. It's an awesome idea.

"I'm sorry, Zuko." She apologized softly, taking a step forward so she was closer to him, "Even if I was right before, I went about saying it the wrong way. I was too harsh. It was bad, I'm… I'm sorry."

Hesitantly, she hugged him, resting her chin momentarily on his shoulder. For a split second, she noticed how tall she was, only slightly shorter than the prince. Zuko didn't exactly respond to the affection, and actually pushed her away a bit.

"But you still won't tell me who you really are, will you, Lilly?" he asked wryly.

"Well-I-no, but-uh," she flustered, not having expected the question, "I can't, Zuko. I just can't."

"Of course,"

"It's not like that."

"Well, what is it like then?"

"You don't understand, I just can't tell you."

"You said in Ba Sing Se that you kept secrets to protect yourself. What's that supposed to mean?"

"It was a slip of the tongue."

"So even _that's_ too much to know?"

"Well, no, but… Oh, I don't know. It so complicated. I'll tell you someday, I promise. Everyone will know someday."

"Why can't you tell me today? What's the difference?"

Tara fidgeted in place.

"It's complicated."

He looked at her with a strange expression, like she was a riddle he couldn't figure out. Zuko sighed and she sighed and there seemed to be some sort of mutual calming down.

"I hate not knowing." The prince spoke up eventually, his voice quiet.

"I know." Tara replied confidently, though it was about the opposite of what she was actually feeling.

"You know so much about me." He went on.

"I know."

"I hate that too."

"I know."

"Sometimes, I think I hate you."

"And those other times?"

They stared at each other for a few moments, and Tara noticed that they had somehow stepped closer together again. Their amber eyes connected and she was lost in the glowing color of his. They weren't like the deep blues of Sokka's or the faded green of Toph's. No, they were different than what she was used to.

"Those other times," Zuko replied, picking out each word slowly, "I think I missed you."

"You _think _you did?" she asked, laughing slightly while awaiting his answer nervously.

He merely nodded before leaning forward and kissing her gently. Then suddenly, he pulled back, shock evident on his face, as if he couldn't believe his actions. Tara wasn't sure how she looked, either; probably surprised, somewhere similar to his.

"I-," they both began at the same time and then stopped awkwardly.

Tara gulped and tugged on her earlobe nervously.

"Lilly-," Zuko started.

"I'll see you later, okay?" she told him reassuringly as she picked up her bag.

"I thought-,"

"I'm a bit confused, Zuko, really." She said, sliding her bag over her shoulder.

"So am I!" he cried as she whistled loudly.

Tara peered over the balloon's edge to see a familiar vulture-griffin flying through the clouds beneath them.

"Kokoro!" she called out to her friend.

Immediately, Kokoro swooped up.

"Bye, Zuko." She told him simply before jumping over the edge.

Tara landed swiftly on the vulture-griffin's back. In frustration, she buried her head in the soft mixture of feathers and fur. She didn't understand why she felt this way. Isn't this what she had wanted for so long? Didn't she miss Zuko?

Of course! They were a couple for one day, and it was a weird day, but everything about those moments was awesome. Maybe Tara was just being stupid and obsessed with her first relationship. Yet this was so different than stories of love she had heard about when she was younger. Those involved best friends giggling over each conversation and perfect dates. They had a fight somewhere near the end that ended when the guy did something extremely sweet and possibly embarrassing.

But those were just stories, after all. They came from someone's imagination of perhaps what the perfect relationship might be. But Tara never asked for perfect, she never expected it. She only wanted something to make her happy. Not even super tremendously and ridiculously happy at all times. No, the kind of happy that made you smile slightly and maybe laugh a little. That would be enough for her.

When did this begin again? Why did she get herself into this a second time? Oh yes, because she couldn't stay away when she was so close. Because then she heard some things that, even for her, seemed kind of too private to mention later. Still now, Tara felt ashamed she had kept listening.

"_You can do it." She whispered encouragingly._

_Tara stood in the shadows outside the emergency throne room of Fire Lord Ozai as Zuko glanced at her uncertainly. He nodded, but it wasn't very convincing._

"_Come on," she continued, "you insisted on doing this. When you come out, I'll be right here and we can outrun some royal guards together. Now, go. in. the room."_

_Zuko nodded and turned to face the heavy metal door. _

"_I'm ready to face you." He finally said confidently._

_He took a deep breath and pulled the door wide-open. Tara caught a glimpse of the Fire Lord casually sipping something hot before ducking behind a corner. The prince slammed the door shut behind him and, almost immediately, she nervously tip-toed to the wall underneath a blazing torch._

"_Why are you here?" Ozai asked suspiciously._

_His voice was demanding and… kind of scary. Tara had occasionally imagined what coming face-to-face with the Fire Lord would be like. The image that came to mind was usually him tall and menacing, maybe just finishing lunch of raw eggs and something else that sounded tough. _

_Yet as she contemplated the glimpse she got of the Fire Lord she realized who he really was: a man. A man that is responsible for the deaths of hundreds, yes, but a man all the same. Even more than that, he was a father and although Tara had always known this she had never really stopped and actually thought about it._

_And suddenly, it occurred to her what the conversation she was about to eavesdrop on was going to be like._

"_I'm here to tell the truth." Zuko's confident voice answered._

"_Telling the truth during the middle of an eclipse," Ozai said sadistically, "this should be interesting."_

_Tara held her breath as moment of silence passed. She should move away from the wall. She should make sure she didn't hear another word of what was being said behind it. But her body was frozen in place. _

"_First of all," the prince began, somehow managing to keep his composure, "in Ba Sing Se, it was Azula who took down the Avatar, not me."_

"_Why would she lie to me about that?" the Fire Lord questioned._

"_Because the Avatar is not dead." Zuko boldly declared, "He survived."_

"_What?" he cried in shock._

_Tara couldn't help but smile slightly to hear Ozai's alarm._

"_In fact," the prince continued, "he probably is leading this invasion. He could be on us right now."_

You bet he is. _She thought triumphantly._

"_Get out!" the Fire Lord demanded irately, "Get out if you know what's good for you!"_

_Tara instantly ceased her smiling._

"_That's another thing." Zuko told him, growing somewhat louder, "I'm not taking orders from you anymore."_

_And just like that, it's back._

"_You will obey me," Ozai insisted, still seething, "or this defiant breath will be your last!"_

_Her heart pounding hard against her chest, she began to tug her earlobe absentmindedly._

"_Think again!" Zuko yelled, "_I_ am going to speak my mind and_ you_ are going to listen."_

_Tara nodded to herself. It was a few seconds before the prince continued._

"_For so long, all I wanted was for you to love me, to accept me. I thought it was my honor that I wanted but really, I was just trying to please you. You, my father, who banished me just for talking out of turn." It was here that her eyes widened as she realized that this was the story she had been wondering about for ages, "My father, who challenged me, a 13-year-old boy to an Agni Kai. How can you possibly justify a duel with a child?"_

"_It was to teach you respect."_

"_It was cruel! And it was wrong."_

_The whole exchange seemed to happen in a second, but Tara could barely breathe. _Ozai _had given Zuko his scar? His own _father_? She had never considered that before. The Fire Lord was a horrible guy but hurting his own son was just unfathomable._

_Still… that's what it sounded like. _

"_Then you have learned nothing." Ozai stated angrily._

"_No, I've learned everything!" the prince cried, "And I had to learn it on my own. Growing up, we were taught that the Fire Nation was the greatest civilization in history and, somehow, the war was our way of sharing our greatness with the rest of the world. What an amazing lie that was. The people of world are _terrified_ by the Fire Nation. They don't see our greatness! They hate us! And we deserve it. We've create an era of fear in the world, and if we don't want the world to destroy itself, we need to replace it with an era of peace and kindness."_

_Tara couldn't help feeling a surge of pride for Zuko. At that moment, she knew he'd be a great Fire Lord and be able to redeem their country. She would place all her hopes for that in him. But she wouldn't tell him that._

"_Your uncle has gotten to you," Ozai laughed, "hasn't he?"_

"_Yes." Zuko replied sincerely, "He has. After I leave here today, I'm going to free Uncle Iroh from his prison and I'm going to beg for his forgiveness. He is the one who has been a real father to me."_

"_That's beautiful." The Fire Lord said sarcastically, "Maybe he can pass down to you the ways of tea and failure."_

_Tara bit back her own retort: 'Yeah! Failure is my favorite flavor of tea!'_

"_But I've come to an even more important decision." Zuko said, completely ignoring his father's comment which Tara definitely wouldn't have, "I'm going to join the Avatar, and I'm going to help him defeat you."_

_She expected a flurry of anger from Ozai, but got something completely different._

"_Really, since you're a full blown traitor now and you want me gone, why wait?" he asked, "I'm powerless, you've got your swords, why don't you just do it now?"_

_Tara's eyebrows furrowed. _Yeah, why not?

"_Because I know my own destiny." The prince stated, "Taking you down is the Avatar's destiny."_

Right. Stupid. _She knew that. _

"_Coward!" the Fire Lord yelled out, "You think you're brave enough to face me but you'll only do it during an eclipse. If you have any real courage, you'll stick around until the Sun comes out."_

"_Don't do it, Zuko." Tara whispered._

"_Don't you want to know what happened to your mother?" Ozai asked cruelly. _

_She held in her breath. He should go. Really. But she wouldn't if she were him. _

"_What happened that night?" the prince questioned, a little bit quieter than before._

"_My father, Fire Lord Azulon, had commanded me to do the unthinkable to you, my own son. And I was going to do it. You mother found out and swore she would protect you at any cost. She knew I wanted the throne and proposed a plan, a plan in which I would become Fire Lord and your life would be spared. Your mother did vicious, treasonous things that night. She knew the consequences and accepted them. For her treason, she was banished."_

_The unthinkable? As in murder? Wait, the Fire Lady killed Azulon so Zuko wouldn't be killed? That's… the most amazing thing. _

"_So she's alive." Zuko realized, and Tara was heartbroken to hear the sadness in his voice._

_He didn't know if his mother was dead or not all this time._

"_Perhaps," Ozai stated, sounding not at all concerned about his wife, "now I realize that banishment is far too merciful a punishment for treason. Your penalty will be _far _steeper."_

_Suddenly, the unmistakable sound of fizzing electricity came through the wall and she felt the surge of warmth return to herself. The eclipse must be over. Tara jumped to her feet as she heard a crashing sound._

_Just like that, Zuko rushed out the room, grabbed her arm, and began running down the hall. She only had time to register the arc of fire in the throne room and the single tear stain residing on his cheek before he dragged her away with four words._

"_Time to save Uncle."_

Tara wanted to clarify her thoughts with Zuko himself but hated the confession that would come along with the questions. She had no right to eavesdrop on the conversation, though he had never stated not to do so. Still, it was kind of implied. How could she have been so insensitive!

But as they say, curiosity killed the cat, and it did so viciously.

Upon arrival at the Western Air Temple, Tara spent a few fleeting moments gazing at its beauty but soon turned away. Kokoro landed in the woods above the cliffs and she tiredly set up her newest campsite before heading back to the temple.

She climbed down a rope she had recently acquired and dropped down to a deserted platform. Tara crept around the place, cautious not to accidentally stumble upon anybody, until she found what must be the main area where the gang had set up their camp. She hid behind a pillar as she noticed Katara, Toph, and Sokka sitting around, looking like they were deep in thought, while Aang flew off with his glider.

"What's up with him?" Toph asked.

"There's got to be somebody to teach him firebending." Sokka contemplated, completely ignoring the question; it was probably rhetorical anyway.

"Yeah, but who?" Katara added, "It's not like we're friendly with a lot of firebenders."

"Nope, not a lot." The warrior continued, and Tara suddenly caught the hint.

Like that was going to happen.

"Sokka, we don't know _any_." Toph told him, "None, nada, zip, zero. We have absolutely no options unless we miraculously come across one all of a sudden."

Katara gave the two a strange look but soon seemed to slip back into her own thoughts. Tara, though, knew exactly what they were thinking.

"I'm gonna go find a better place to mull this over." Sokka informed them as he stood up.

"What's wrong with staying here?" his sister questioned.

"Ah, let him leave." The earthbender said, waving him off.

He began walking towards her, and Tara quickly bolted from pillar to pillar in an effort to get farther away from the other two. It didn't take long for her to get deep into a dark, shadowy spot in the interior of the temple, with the warrior not too far behind. She hurried into a cross-legged position against a pillar and adopted a 'just chilling' expression. A second later he caught up with her.

"Hello, Sokka." She said with a smile.

"Hey, Tara." He told her with a slight laugh, probably seeing right through her act, "How was your eclipse?"

"Oh, you know," she stated, "spying, stalking around, fighting here and there. The usual stuff."

He nodded, though a smile crept onto his face.

"You were listening just now, right?" he asked.

"Mm hm," Tara prompted.

"Are you really that clueless?" he said, folding his arms across his chest.

"No, I just want to see how you word this."

"Okay, yeah, figured as much."

They held a silent staring contest for a few seconds, as though challenging each other to say something.

"I don't want to pressure you, but you're going to have to reveal yourself at some point, remember? You always said you would."

"I know, I know," She stated, standing up to face him, "just not right now."

"What exactly are you waiting for?" he asked.

"I don't know." She shrugged.

"You want someone to say 'Okay, if there's anybody who's been secretly following us for a while could you come out to be fully accepted in the group?'"

"No."

"Or how about a formal invite?"

"No!"

"Then what is it? What do you want to happen?"

"I don't know, Sokka!"

"Well, Aang needs a firebending teacher and, oh look! You're a firebender!"

"Okay, that's true, but…"

"What?"

"Alright, I'm gonna tell you something that you can absolutely not tell the others even if you can figure out a lie to explain how you found out."

"Uh, okay."

"Right. Okay. Zuko followed us back here."

"What? We've got to go fight him, or leave, or something!"

"No, you don't."

"Tara-,"

"He's officially on our side now."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that during the eclipse I found him and he told me his plan and we left together. Yep. That's what I mean."

"His _plan_?"

"Yeah, to join the group and be Aang's firebending teacher. He's finally realized his true path."

"And you believed him?"

"Of course I did. Why wouldn't I?"

"Do you really want the list?"

"Ugh, come on, Sokka. You've got to accept the fact that Zuko was just a conflicted guy and now he's found the right way. He's going to join the group and _I_ will not be needed."

"Why are you always supporting him?"

"I don't know, maybe because… well, maybe because I understand."

"Tara-,"

"Sokka!" Katara's voice echoed around the walls.

The warrior shot her an apologetic look.

"Go ahead." Tara told him.

He smiled and playfully shoved her shoulder.

"I'll see ya later."

"Yup."

And with that, the warrior jogged towards the form of his sister in the distance, no doubt to discuss more about their plans. Tara followed slowly, careful to hide herself when necessary, but a few minutes later the trio hopped aboard Appa and flew into the sky. She proceeded to return to her campsite, slightly faster now that they were gone. Once she climbed back onto the top of the cliff and packed away her rope, she turned towards a sound that resembled someone talking.

Tara stepped carefully through the trees and eventually realized the voice was Zuko, who seemed to be talking to himself. She expertly hid behind a tree as she finally came across his makeshift campsite.

"Listen, Avatar, I can join your group or I can do something unspeakably horrible to you and your friends. Your choice." He was saying as she arrived, obviously trying to act like his sister, before sitting down on a log in defeat, "I guess I'm not that good at impersonations."

She was about to jump in and agree that he really wasn't when Zuko surprised her.

"I wonder what Lilly would do." He asked himself, scratching his forehead for a second.

She turned away and just listened, blinking repeatedly in shock.

"Probably something like 'Hey, Avatar!'" he began, making his voice high-pitch in an effort to make it girly, "'I heard you've got a little resistance group going on here and I figured I'd join! How about that? Sound cool?'"

Tara suppressed a laugh and decided it was the perfect moment to interrupt.

"I don't think I'd do it _quite _like that." She giggled as stepped out and walked towards him a tiny bit.

"Lilly," he stumbled over his words, "uh, that was just, I was-,"

"No, it's cool." She assured him, but then laughed as she remembered him using the exact adjective in his impersonation, "So, you're practicing what you're going to say, right?"

"I'm trying to." Zuko admitted.

"Maybe you should just wing it." Tara suggested.

"Wing it?" he repeated.

"Yeah, you know, improvise."

"I think I'd end up saying something stupid."

"Any way you do it, it's not going to be perfect. These people do _not _trust you."

"That's really encouraging."

"I'm just saying. If you sound perfect they're going to think that you're just playing them. Now, if you fumble with your words and stuff they'll probably think you're nervous which basically leads to you being completely sincere."

"Why does that make sense?"

Tara shrugged and grinned widely.

"So you're saying I should just go right now, no more practice."

"Hey, do whatever you want. It's just a suggestion."

Without another word, she began walking away.

"Lilly," Zuko called after her.

"Yeah?" she replied hopefully, for what she wasn't sure, as she whipped back around.

"I'm sorry about earlier."

"Well, I really shouldn't have run off like that either or… said what I said. We were both idiots."

"Right. But I knew what you were getting at too and I just wanted to say… um…"

"What?"

"I didn't want to leave you behind in Ba Sing Se. You made me happier than I had been since… since I was banished. I actually forgot about that stuff while I was with you, usually. When I went back to the Fire Nation… it all came back. I did have some happy times again," and here the corner of his mouth twitched up ever so slightly, "but they were ruined by the other things. And sometimes… I wondered what you were doing."

"Well, I wasn't doing much, I can tell you that."

"Okay. Well, I've said what I needed to."

"What does it mean, though? Are we…" Tara dared to say the words, "back together?"

Zuko stared at her for a few terrifying seconds, also looking terrified, which was worrying to say the least.

"Yes." He finally stated, bringing an inescapable smile to her face.

All of a sudden, Zuko began walking briskly towards her and then right past her, seemingly on a mission.

"Zuko," she cried in surprise.

Tara caught up with him quickly and realized he was heading back to the temple.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"What you told me to do."

"Oh, right."

She followed him the whole way and hid crouched down behind a large formation of rubble so that she could _just _see a tiny bit of the scene before her. A few minutes later, Appa and Aang landed back onto the platform. As Sokka, Katara, and Toph climbed off of the sky bison, they continued their argument with Aang while he continued to change the subject.

But Toph, of course, knew the prince was there.

"I think that'll have to wait." She informed them as Appa conveniently moved a different direction which dramatically revealed Zuko to the group.

For a tense moment, they all seemed to lock eyes.

"Hello." The prince said with a glimmer of a smile as he raised a hand in an awkward wave, "Zuko here."

It didn't take long for the group to all adopt a fighting stance.

"Hey, I heard you guys flying around down there, so I thought," he went on, shrugging his shoulders, "I'd wait for you here."

Appa walked towards Zuko and growled softly, causing Tara to flinch slightly, but then the sky bison took a cautious step forward and licked the whole side of his face and neck. _Yes! That should give him some credit. _She thought, as he wiped the saliva from his face.

"I know you must be surprised to see me here." Zuko began.

"Not really," Sokka interrupted, "since you've followed us around the world."

Tara made a mental note to have a talk with Sokka later.

"Right… well, uh… anyway," Zuko said, obviously uncomfortable, "what I wanted to tell you about is that I've changed, and I uh, I'm good now. And, well, I think I should join your group. Oh! And I can teach firebending… to you."

Aang looked utterly confused, but lowered his staff ever so slightly, giving Tara a shimmer of hope. Sokka also looked flabbergasted, which was either a really good act or he hadn't believed her when she told him. Probably the latter was true.

"See, I, uh,"

"You want what now?" Toph butted in, making Tara regret not somehow telling her too.

"You can't possibly think that any of us would trust you, can you?" Katara joined in, "I mean, how stupid do you think we are?"

"Yeah," Sokka agreed, "all you've ever done is try to hunt us down and capture Aang."

"I've done some good things." Zuko defended himself, taking a small step forward, "I mean, I could've stolen your bison in Ba Sing Se, but I set him free." Here, he gestured wildly towards Appa, "That's something."

"Appa _does _seem to like him." Toph commented.

Tara wanted to jump up and hug the earthbender right then and there.

"He probably just covered himself in honey so that Appa would lick him." Sokka declared, "I'm not buying it."

"I can understand why you wouldn't trust me," Zuko stated, looking kind of like a sad puppy, "and I know I've made some mistakes in the past."

"Like when you attacked our village?" Sokka accused.

"Or when you stole my mother's necklace," the waterbender added on angrily, "and used it to track us down and capture us?"

"Look, I admit I've done some awful things in the past." The prince continued, placing his palm on his forehead for a brief moment, probably getting more nervous as the seconds ticked by, "I was wrong to try to capture you, and I'm sorry I attacked the Water Tribe. And I never should've sent that Fire Nation assassin after you. I'm gonna try to stop him."

_Assassin?_

"Wait," Sokka said, taking out his boomerang, "_you _sent Combustion Man after us?"

"Well, that's not his name," Zuko rambled, panicking, "but…"

_Not good! Not good!_

"Oh, _sorry._" The warrior continued, applying his amazing sarcastic skills, "I didn't mean to insult your friend."

"He's not my friend!" the prince insisted.

"That guy," Toph went on, adding some crazy gestures, "locked me and Katara in jail and tried to blow us all up!"

Zuko closed his eyes; Tara assumed he was calming himself down. When he opened them, he turned his gaze towards Aang.

"Why aren't you saying anything?" he asked softly, "You once said we could be friends. You know I have good in me."

Tara bit her lip as she watched the airbender carefully ponder what he said. Aang was really Zuko's only chance at this point. Surely he would see reason.

"There's no way we can trust you after everything you've done." Aang finally admitted, though there was less anger than the other group members possessed when they had spoken, "We'll never let you join us."

"You need to get out of here now." Katara demanded.

Oh, spirits.

"I'm trying to explain," Zuko told them, determined, "that I'm not that person anymore."

He took a few steps forward, and then one back as Sokka emphasized his attack position.

"Either you leave," the warrior informed, "or we attack."

"If you won't accept me as a friend," Zuko said before he knelt down, lowered his head, and offered out his wrists, "then maybe you'll take me as a prisoner."

_Whoa, whoa, whoa, we never discussed this! _Her mind screamed. Luckily, Katara didn't like the idea either.

"No, we won't!" she exclaimed, bending a strong wave of water at him, which knocked him back.

He lay there in a puddle of water, soaking wet, before rolling onto his back and supporting himself with an elbow to face the group again. His long-for-a-guy hair dripped more water onto his face, but he made no attempt to fix it.

"Get out of here," Katara commanded, "and don't come back. And if we ever see you again… well, we'd better not see you again."

Zuko didn't bother saying any farewells, and certainly no one in the group felt the need to. He simply stood up and headed back to where his rope was hanging a couple platforms away, keeping his head down and leaving a trail of water the whole way. The group all huddled together, probably to insult the prince more while he wasn't around, giving Tara a chance to carefully run after him.

It wasn't hard to catch up, but she said nothing out of lack any words. When they arrived back at his campsite, he just sat down on a log and held his still sopping head in his hands.

"Oh, Zuko," she whispered forlornly, taking off her green robe and putting it around his shoulders, "I'm so sorry."

He didn't reply, and Tara didn't blame him. She just tried to dry him off as best she could. Finally, she put the robe on top of his head, ruffled his hair all up, and left it there.

"Hey," he protested weakly, pulling it off as she sat down next to him.

She smiled sadly and ruffled his hair more with her hand.

"There," Tara said gently, "now it's only a little wet."

"Yeah," he agreed just as quietly, if not more so, "only a little."

She sighed.

"Are you okay?" Tara asked.

"What do you think?" he replied, suddenly becoming angry, "What am I supposed to do now?"

"Well, you're not going to give up," she acknowledged, "that's for sure."

"You heard the Water Tribe girl-,"

"Katara,"

"Right, she said to never come back… or else. What does that even mean?"

Tara pondered this question seriously for a few seconds.

"You know, I don't really want to know."

He nodded triumphantly.

"I have nowhere to go. There's no place for me now."

"But you can't give up that easily, Zuko. There's got to be something we can do."

"What?"

"I don't know!"

"Well, think of something, since your first idea was a complete failure!"

"It was not! You saw Aang-,"

"Which one is that?"

"The Avatar! You know you really need to start using his actual name because it sounds bad when all you call him is 'the Avatar.' But as I was saying, he was really thinking about it. I'm pretty sure peer pressure made him cave."

"Well, that doesn't matter now!"

"What about Toph?"

"Uh,"

"The other girl!"

"Right, well, it only took the thing about the assassin to end that! Ugh! If I just hadn't mentioned him, maybe I wouldn't be in this situation right now!"

"Yeah, well, there's no use thinking about that now. Besides… you know, I didn't know you did that either."

"It never came up, Lilly."

"I know, I'm not blaming you. … But that guy was really determined."

"I'm sorry! Okay?"

"Yeah, I wonder what happened to him."

"So you didn't kill him?"

"Nope. I guess he finally gave up."

"Lilly, this guy would never give up. That's his whole reputation. He builds it up around that fact. Whatever it takes, he _will _get his target."

Tara looked at him intently.

"Sounds like you did your research."

"I just hear some things. If you didn't kill him, he's probably on his way right now."

"Way to make me paranoid."

"Sorry! I'm just saying!"

"I've got to warn them."

"How? I thought you hid from them?"

"Well… actually, Sokka knows me. We go back. Um, yeah."

She laughed nervously.

"Does he know you know me?"

"Yes?" she squeaked.

"Okay. I'm not even going to bother trying to figure this out."

"Really?"

"But he seemed the angriest at me!"

"Yeah, well, he tends to be kind of untrusty, but I'm working on it. In fact, I'll work on it right now." Tara stood up and began to put her slightly damp robe back on when Zuko grabbed her arm, "What…"

She trailed off as she realized what he was staring at. It was her burn scar from the fight she had with Azula.

"What's that from?" Zuko asked quietly.

In a slight panic, Tara yanked her arm from his grip and pulled her sleeve over the scar as quickly as possible.

"It's just leftover from an old fight. Nothing major, really. I'm gonna go, okay? You, uh… you can return to talking to yourself now."

Zuko smirked, but there was a hint of uneasiness in it. What normally would've made her heart flutter instead filled it with anxiety. She wasn't sure why she didn't want him to know that she was the girl that he saved from the burning wreckage of an abandoned town. Maybe it was because it packed on more things that Tara has kept from him, and at this point she was worried that telling him would only make matters worse.

She pushed these thoughts out of her head and left his campsite, thinking instead of how in the world she was going to convince Sokka to accept Zuko.

**Sokka POV**

Sokka lay flat on his back, his hands beneath his head, just staring at the cracked ceiling of the temple. He listened to the soft sounds of badgerfrogs croaking mixed with the others' sleep-filled breathing. He sat up, glanced at his friends to confirm their unconscious states, and pulled the thin blanket off of himself.

He wasn't sure where to go to meet with Tara, so Sokka went in the direction that he remembered Zuko had gone. He knew well enough that she had been there during the tense confrontation, and that she would've followed the prince. It was the correct assumption.

Sokka found her sitting cross-legged beside a rope that hung down from the cliff above, picking at the grass that grew in the cracks of the temple floor.

"Tara!" he called in greeting, making her jump.

Immediately, she stood up and walked towards him, wagging her finger and giving a menacing glare.

"Tara?" the warrior questioned, laughing nervously, "How's it going?"

"How do you _think _it's going," she replied irritably, "_Sokka_?"

"Zuko can't be trusted." He insisted, "I stand by my statement."

"Oh, _come on_. Did you see how he poured his heart out? You know everything he said was true. I know Toph knows. Did she say anything?"

"Yeah, yeah, how he was being 'sincere' or something."

"And you know Toph is a living lie detector."

"It's possible he can pass the test, his sister did."

"Azula's crazy. She doesn't count."

"But we can't rely on Toph all the time. At some point, something will go wrong."

"Please, Sokka. Zuko doesn't have anywhere else to go. He doesn't want to go back to the Fire Nation, and if he did, he'd be killed."

"What, did he tell you that?"

"No, Sokka, I was there when he confronted his father."

"What?"

"It was very intense."

"_That's _what you did during the eclipse?"

"I said I found Zuko."

"Yeah, and not much else."

"Well, I was there in all its intensity and I really shouldn't have been…" Tara bit her lip, "I don't have the right to tell you anything I heard. It's _way _too personal. But I will say this: you are dead wrong if you think that Zuko is trying to lead you into some kind of trap. You don't know him like I do. You don't know him at all. And you don't even give him a chance!"

Sokka sighed, thinking deeply about what she had said. What did Zuko and Ozai talk about during that confrontation? What was so personal that she felt ashamed to know? One thing was for sure, Tara was serious about whatever was going on. For a few moments, he was convinced.

But then he thought about what Zuko had done to her. After Ba Sing Se, Sokka knew there was something else bothering her besides their defeat, and the fault that may or may not be hers. It wasn't until just recently that he had linked her two-week depression to her connection with the prince at the time. Now, Sokka didn't have any proof to confirm his suspicions, but that's what it added up to be.

Yes, he was quite sure that Tara and Zuko had a short-lived, but apparently memorable, relationship.

Sokka thought back to that time, to her sad, dimming eyes and defeated attitude, and knew he had to practice some tough love. He suddenly remembered what he had told Katara, Toph, and Aang earlier that day and realized he was subconsciously talking about his _other_ sister.

_He wants you to trust him and feel sorry for him, so you let your guard down. Then he strikes._

"I'm sorry, Tara." He told her firmly, "But we just can't trust Zuko."

"Sokka!" the firebender pleaded.

"I'm not changing my mind."

"He hasn't even really done anything to the group since the battle at the Northern Water Tribe."

"What about in Ba Sing Se?"

"That was Azula. She plays with people's minds."

"Even if we don't count that, if we should, he still sent an assassin after us."

"Oh!" an expression of shock appeared on her face, "I had to warn you about him!"

"What do you mean?"

"That's why I was waiting. I didn't feel like trying to somehow signal you to come talk. Combustion Man is still after us."

"But we haven't seen him since the whole thing with Toph's scams."

"Yes, but he's not giving up."

"Did _Zuko _tell you that? How does he know?"

"Apparently that's Combustion Man's thing. He's supposed to be one of the best assassins because of it."

"So Zuko paid a pretty penny for his service, huh?"

"Oh, get over it! I bet you're just upset because I was right about him all along."

"What? That's ridiculous."

"Come on, Sokka. We _were_ always competitive."

"But-,"

"But that's terrible right now! This is Zuko's _life_! Ugh! Just keep a positive view on him, okay? Consider it? And stay vigilant, for spirits' sake. Combustion Man is out there and he's on his way. I'm going to bed."

"Oh… okay. G'night, Tara."

She nodded formally and proceeded to climb up the rope. Sokka watched in slight confusion as she reached the top and the rope was pulled away.

Well, that was kind of weird. One moment, Tara was extremely upset and the next she just says 'I'm going to bed'? But she did seem sort of exhausted. Maybe that was it.

But moving on, it was almost like he _hated _Zuko. What was it about him, besides the fact he hurt Tara and was once, no is, their enemy, that repelled the warrior? Maybe it was because he was taller than him.

No, that's ridiculous. Zuko is a year older; it's a completely unfair point.

Was it the hair? Because Sokka has noticed how much longer it had gotten since Ba Sing Se and Tara had always said that she liked the prince's hair.

Which is strange, now that he thought about it. Why did she tell him that? And that was a while ago, too, like right before she was kidnapped. Whoa, was Tara _gossiping _about her _crush_ to him? Why didn't he see this before! This definitely contributed to his theory.

So as Sokka walked back to the campsite and eventually drifted off to sleep, it wasn't Tara's warning of Combustion Man that he thought about. No, he was busy thinking about somehow giving his own warning to Zuko.

Because he knew that even if the _group_ had denied the prince, Tara would stick by him to the end.

**Tara POV**

Tara woke abruptly when her designated pillow, Kokoro, decided to stand up. She sat up, rubbing the back of her head, and shot Zuko an annoyed look. The prince stood awkwardly in front of her, eyeing Kokoro cautiously.

"Looks like you find my campsite." She said casually, "Welcome."

"Yeah, I figured it must be around here somewhere."

She nodded and stood up, stretching.

"So what brings you over here?" Tara asked.

"I don't have anything else to do."

"That's true. … Wait, no! You're supposed to be planning your next move to get into the group!"

"I don't think that's ever going to happen."

"And why not?"

"Uh…"

"Zuko, what did you do?"

"Well, the earthbender-,"

"Named?"

"… Toph?"

"Good."

"Right. She came to talk to me last night."

"Really!" Tara exclaimed, suddenly excited, but then remembered the beginning of this conversation, "What happened?"

"I kind of burned her feet."

"What!"

"I didn't know who it was so I just attacked!"  
"Wait, that could've easily been me!"

"But it wasn't!"

"And her _feet_? It just had to be her feet. But we can fix this! I mean, it was an accident, right?"

"Yeah, but I don't think they'll think of it that way."

She sighed.

"You're probably right. I'm gonna go find out what they said."

"You're going to talk to Sokka?"

"I'm going to try." Tara corrected, slinging her bag over her shoulder, "Hey, why do remember his name?"

"Uh, I don't know. I guess I just know who the one is that you know."

She eyed him for a second, but supposed it made sense.

"Okay. Well, I'm going." She finally said, before taking out a hunk of bread from her bag, "After I eat this."

She took a furious bite out of it, earning a small smile of amusement from Zuko.

But still no laugh. She had only ever heard a bitter laugh from him before, during the fight from yesterday morning.

Suddenly, as Tara finished chewing the last bite of bread, she noticed him looking at her in concern.

"What?" she asked.

"What other food do you have?" he replied.

"Uh, some more bread… and I usually collect berries or something. When we're around towns I manage to get meat and better fruits. I don't have a big store of food now, though."

"That's it?"

"It's fine, Zuko, really. Anyway," she took a swig of water, "I will see you later."

She turned away, but the prince placed a hand on her shoulder and walked up beside her.

"Actually, I'll come with you."

"Zuko-,"

"I don't have anything better to do."

"Yes, but we can't communicate when we're being quiet and stealthy. It'll just complicate things. And if we get _caught_-,"

"At least let me walk to the cliff."

"I never said you couldn't do that." She smirked.

He rolled his eyes, but smiled at the same time. So, they proceeded to walk to the cliff, Tara skipping light-heartedly and Zuko continuing to smile at her while watching. After they left the woods, there was a short expanse of mostly plantless ground that led to the cliff's edge. Below this was the temple.

Tara pulled out her rope and knotted the end of it to the same spot as before, a rock that jutted out of the surface at the perfect angle, and threw the rest of it over the side.

"And this is where I leave you." She stated.

Zuko nodded but then shifted his gaze to something behind her in worry.

"Not quite." He replied matter-of-factly.

She looked behind her to see a tall, broad man with a bald head and black facial hair, wearing a light brown tunic and shorts, walking around the bend of an individual temple building. From this far away, she could just make out the red tattoo of an eye on his forehead.

Combustion Man had found them. This was not good.

"I've got to stop him." Zuko said.

"Yeah, you do." Tara agreed.

The prince began climbing down the rope at lightning speed, or as fast as you possibly can, with her right behind him. They ran along the twisting pathways they suspected might lead them to the right place, knowing there was a chance they could be too late. Combustion Man was already in position, after all. He was ready to strike.

But barely a minute went by before the two firebenders arrived at the opposite side of the building that the assassin was on… the floor above.

"Of course." She exclaimed, throwing her arms up in frustration.

Then Zuko ran up the side, took hold of a vine underneath the corner, and swung to the correct floor.

"That works." Tara told herself with a laugh.

She decided to do the same on her corner. Yet she still wished she could help, or at least see what was going on, but in order to stay hidden it was impossible. All she got was about a foot of view, which wasn't much.

Suddenly, a large explosion went off.

"Stop!" she heard Zuko demand, "I don't want you hunting the Avatar anymore!"

_Alright, good start._ And then another blast was heard.

"The mission is off!" he told the assassin a few seconds later, "I'm ordering you to stop!"

Tara could hear another explosion, this time accompanied by what sounded like firebending. What was going on?

"If you keep attacking, I won't pay you!" Zuko offered, right before there was more firebending, suggesting that it didn't go too well, "Alright, I'll pay you double to stop!"

_Wait, did he have that kind of money anymore? _There were more blasts and firebending sounds, and a couple of times Tara could see the prince as he fell to the ground. Moments later, there was a louder sound and she was able to see the blast, which was mostly fire and smoke, right on the edge.

"Zuko!" she cried, but her voice was lost in the noise.

As the smoke cleared, Tara could see… nothing. There was no Fire Nation prince anywhere in sight.

"No." she whispered.

She peered over the edge but saw nothing there either. But when she ducked her head underneath the floor, Tara was relieved to see him hanging by a vine.

"Lilly." Zuko managed to acknowledge her under the strain of his grip.

"Hang in there." She called out just loud enough for him to hear.

She swung her head back up, feeling the blood in it return to normal, and tried to see anything. It wasn't much use. Well, Tara was out of ideas. If Zuko, the guy who hired Combustion Man in the first place, couldn't get him to stop, then that angle was useless. And the group knew by now that fighting with him was close to impossible.

Still, there was a waterbending attack, probably from Katara, though that didn't really do much. It wasn't until, several explosions later, that a familiar boomerang made its way to the assassin. Well, Tara didn't know if it hit its target or not, but it had been a while since she had seen Sokka miss.

A second later, she could hear the largest blast of all, and it was fairly close. She wasn't sure what had just happened, but remembered a moment the last time they had encountered Combustion Man, when a pebble had hit his tattoo. When he had tried to use his special firebending ability, it was like there was an explosion _on his forehead_.

And then he had the nerve to come out unscathed.

Is that what just happened? Tara noticed Zuko struggling onto the landing and finally standing back up. He looked over where the gang was and then walked towards her.

"He's dead." The prince informed her simply.

"Really?" she asked, surprised.

"Yeah. Sokka hit him and then… he just exploded."

"Are you sure?" she insisted, worried that he might be okay again.

"I just saw his arm fly into the canyon."

"You're right. He's a goner."

"I guess I'll go back to the campsite." He said in defeat.

"Wait, no, go see the group." Tara told him, blocking his way.

"Why? I tried to get him to stop, and failed… miserably."

"Yes, but you tried. Believe me, the gang likes that."

Zuko liked at her like she was crazy, and then sighed.

"Fine. Whatever."

"Yes! Make it sound good. I'll probably just go back to my campsite."

"Really? That doesn't sound like you."

"I know. But I'm still kind of tired. I don't why. Besides, this is your moment. You'll have to tell me about it later. Not to mention they'll probably be paying attention to you. It'll be hard to hide."

"Okay." He said reluctantly.

**Zuko POV**

Zuko walked to Lilly's campsite, feeling unbelievably happy. The group had actually accepted him. Sure, Sokka, Katara, and even Toph seemed a little iffy about the arrangement, but Aang was into it. _He _was the Avatar, the one he'll be teaching. That's important.

He had come back here to collect his things and bring them to their campsite. It felt weird, going to live with the people who, not too long ago, he had really hated and wanted to capture. But a lot has changed since then.

When Zuko arrived at Lilly's campsite, he smiled at the sight before him. She was asleep, with her head resting against her vulture-griffin's stomach. It was almost the same scene he saw that morning. She looked so innocent like this, so not like she acted when awake. Because Lilly wasn't exactly innocent.

She was fiery and unruly. She was dishonest and loud. She did strange things just to make him smile, and he was almost positive she was trying to get him to laugh. She had an amazing smile and laughed at the weirdest stuff. She made strange gestures when talking and she talked a lot.

Lilly was the polar opposite of Mai. And Zuko didn't know what to do.

Was it possible to be in love with two people at the same time? No, he didn't _love _them but… he was well on his way to. It was an impossible decision. So… he'd deal with it later. Yes, later was better.

And for some reason, he completely didn't care about going back to the group as fast as possible any more. He noticed Lilly's skinny frame and took out the fancy meats, breads, cheeses, and other foods he had stolen from the palace kitchens before leaving. Each was wrapped in a cloth napkin. The prince took them all out and arranged them into an elaborate dinner. He even made two small campfires in an effort to make it look… what was he going for? Romantic? Really?

And then Zuko sat and waited, brewing some tea while he did so. It may not be as good as Uncle's, or even Lilly's because he had never had a formal lesson which she had, but he had seen it done countless times. Surely it would be okay.

While he waited, he thought about his relationship with Lilly. It was a strange one, that was for sure. The first time they met was when he accidentally rescued her from Lake Laogai. He suddenly realized that he still didn't know why she was there. And then when he was sick, she just showed up and handed him a cup of tea, wanting his opinion. Who did that?

But maybe, just maybe, he loved that she did.

The following day was, of course, weird. They spent the whole day together, basically. Lilly told him what had happened when she was younger. Zuko hadn't really thought much about that story since then. She had spent a whole year in the dark of a ship's hull. And then she had 'been alone ever since'. Yet, she was so happy and perky all the time. He'd thought that that kind of thing made people anti-social. Apparently not.

But maybe that was Lilly, forever defying stereotypes.

And then they talked a long time, on a roof. And that roof was amazing. She had known it would be. He didn't how she could've known, and he wished so much that he had that kind of imagery. She told him all those things about the Fire Nation, all the things she loved, and it was like she could've kept talking about them forever. Even in this time when their country was responsible for so much pain, she could still see its beauty.

And he loved that too.

Then they had fought when Zuko wanted to go back. She had cried. He had made Lilly cry. He remembered how devastated she had looked, like a panel of glass shattering all at once. And he had just shoved past her, only looking back to tell a lie. But then, at the eclipse, she had forgiven him. As soon as she learned that he had finally changed sides, she had. Because, he guessed, she knew all along that he was good. She had told him so in Ba Sing Se. In fact, she was the only person, besides Uncle, who thought that.

So maybe, just maybe, he did love Lilly after all. And he would find out her secrets eventually, he knew deep inside that he would, but for now that was kind of okay.

Because perhaps he loved his mysterious Lilly, and everything else about her.

_I'm like a kid who just can't let it go_

_Twisting and turning the colors in a row_

_I'm so intent to find out what it is_

_This is my Rubik's Cube_

_I know I can figure it out_

_-Rubik's Cube by Athlete_

**Oh my gosh, thank God it's finished. That's all I can think about right now. Sorry for the wait. I got… distracted. Really I have no excuse. I apologize. I do hope this makes up for it. All 19 pages of it.**

**Well, this is a day late then I anticipated but whatever. It's done. Please, please review! I would totally do some funky (okay strange) disco moves if you do. I might even write back to you next chapter, I don't know. But anyhow, I thank you very much for reading! I hope you enjoyed! Please review, constructive criticism is always welcome! ****Goodbye! **

**UPDATE: I have added a small section of a scene just before the Sokka POV in order to set something up for the next chapter. Gee, I really hope that no one can think of an obvious spoiler that now has been revealed. Hmm, foreshadowing anyone?**


	20. The Firebending Masters

**Well, here goes the next episode, which is none other than**

The Firebending Masters

Tara watched the small expanse of ruins get larger as Kokoro flew closer. She had never heard of the Sun Warriors civilization and so, naturally, was fairly curious. In fact, she thought it was weird that she didn't know of its existence but supposed that lesson was taught in school sometime after she left.

But it sure was fascinating. The moment she found a second alone with Zuko after he suggested visiting the ruins, Tara bombed him with questions about it. Unfortunately, the time alone didn't last long, they wanted to get moving as soon as possible and the prince wasn't one to tolerate the bombardment anyway. She guessed that made sense, as she wouldn't either.

And so, of course, Tara just _had _to follow Aang and Zuko on this little adventure. She couldn't help wondering what life was like in the time of the Sun Warriors. Was it simpler than now? Did they ever communicate with the ancient earthbenders, waterbenders, or airbenders? If they did, did they ever fight? Were they good friends with the dragons? Like, did they have get-togethers? How did that whole relationship work? Tara wished she had been around in the time of dragons.

Feeling the need, she tore her gaze away from the ruins and onto Appa. Sometimes it was frustrating to have to stay behind him all the time. Kokoro could go so much faster if she actually got the chance. Yet, as curious about the Sun Warriors as she was, Tara couldn't help wondering how Zuko was doing in his new… situation.

When she had woken up the afternoon before to find little bite-sized meats, breads, and cheeses spread out on several patches of cloth, Zuko sitting cross-legged behind the display while sipping a cup of tea, she didn't really know how to react. Well, there was only one thing that kept replaying itself over in her mind: this is the cutest thing ever. But she just smirked, telling him he shouldn't have, and he just smiled knowingly before pouring her a cup of tea. Then Tara dived into the small meal that was still bigger than normal for her, starting to laugh as she saw the prince's reaction which was so pleased.

That's how the afternoon went by, really. They ate, talked, and did all around normal things that couples do. It wasn't until after they had packed it all away and Zuko left to join the gang for the first time that she realized what actually just happened. They had had their first date.

And it was stupid to think about. Yes. Tara was convinced of the fact that she and him having some kind of _normal _relationship like this was absurd. It was secret, but only because her existence was. It was weird, because the circumstances of its origin were. But it was awesome, because the two people involved were.

Wait, did she really just think that? This was what she was worried about. This whole… thing… is supposed to be a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship but there was something about it that made Tara believe it was something else. They had never really acted very couple-ish since Ba Sing Se, besides the kiss on the war balloon. It was more like a strong friendship.

No. That's totally wrong too, totally wrong. But what did she know about these things? That's right, Tara knew nothing. It was ridiculous to even suppose that she did. Which ultimately brought her back to downright crushing on Zuko, though they were in a relationship already. Why did this have to seem so complicated?

At that moment, Tara took notice of Appa landing somewhere on the edge of the ruins. She carefully guided Kokoro to a spot a little ways away, also making sure enough time had passed so Aang and Zuko wouldn't absentmindedly turn around to see her. Upon arrival, she took a passageway next to the main one that they had decided to go on.

This pathway had more openings between buildings, but none led to the main one which was just one long street lined with golden bricks. The walls of every building were built with that material, though the shine had long since weathered away. Vines and other vegetation had grown along the structures, creating cracks in the fixtures. In some places, there were piles of rubble, but other than that, the ruins didn't seem to be in too bad shape.

In fact, the whole place had an aura of warmth around it, almost homely. But, Tara supposed, maybe that was due to her being used to staying in old deserted areas for long periods of time. The Western Air Temple was certainly an example of that, but the Sun Warrior's city was more open and sunny. And Tara, perhaps because of her Fire Nation roots, liked it sunny.

Eventually, she gave up on trying to follow Zuko and Aang around, as she had lost track of them soon after they went in different passages. But Tara didn't regret her decision to go a separate way. There was no place to hide the way they went, and she enjoyed the chance to explore the ruins on her own anyway.

And explore she did. She ventured into the buildings where she could, though discovering not much else besides more rubble and some intricate carvings here and there. At one point, Tara took the time to climb up the stairs of one larger building in order to get a better look. From there, she could see the biggest structure in the city, slightly farther back. She could even make out two figures climbing up its stairs.

Deeming her explorations satisfying, she tried to figure out a possible way to the large building from her vantage point, repeated the directions over and over again to imprint them on her mind, and set out to catch up with Aang and Zuko. It took some time, night had just fallen and the first set of stars had appeared in the sky, and by the time she was one short platform away from the top, she could hear Aang's cries for help.

Great, they had gotten into some kind of trouble. But what could've possibly happened?

Suddenly, Tara noticed there was light coming from behind her and heard the familiar crackle of fire. Surprised, she whipped around to see a sizable man dressed in a red and gold-trimmed vest that exposed his chest and stomach, and gold and maroon pants. In his hand was a tall red staff with a gold top that looked kind of like a sun. The whole upper half of his face was painted red and he wore a large elaborate headdress. He was accompanied by a small band of others dressed mostly the same, though slightly less obscure. Two of them held balls of fire in their hands that provided the light she saw. They all had high ponytails and long black hair, not unlike her own. The men wore no top and the woman had only a short red tank-top with no fabric over their stomachs.

Tara blinked, not quite believing what she was seeing. She stood there in shock as the man who seemed to be in charge approached her.

"Who are you?" he asked, with a voice that was mostly demanding but also sounded just the slightest bit curious.

It was a weird combination, and actually threw Tara off even more than she already was. Still, would it hurt to say 'hello'?

"Uh, well, what-who are you?" she managed to reply.

The man smiled and let out a hearty laugh, confusing her even more.

"I do believe I asked you first, didn't I?" he answered, maintaining his grin.

She opened her mouth, and then closed it.

"I think you owe me an explanation." Tara countered, somehow without a stutter.

"I'm not quite sure what you mean." He responded, donning an obviously fake confused expression.

The man was mocking her. Tara remained in her state of shock. Her mind was swimming with constant reminders of the facts she knew. The Sun Warriors' civilization had died out hundreds of years before. This was their city, which had been deserted ever since. These were true. They were not lies.

But there was proof of their existence standing right in front of her. These peoples' outfits looked just like what she imagined ancient persons wore. Of course, having received no formal education on the subject, Tara wasn't an expert.

"Well?" the man snapped her out of her thoughts.

"She's obviously with the others, Chief!" one of the other sun warriors yelled out, stepping out of the group and pointing an accusing finger at her, "Just capture her with them!"

"Oh, no, I'm not with them!" she cried in panic.

The Chief narrowed his eyes.

"It's pretty uncommon to have two separate groups discover us in one day." He commented, but it wasn't accusing in the least.

"She's lying!" Ham Gao insisted.

"Quiet, Ham Gao!" the Chief commanded, not taking his gaze away from Tara, "And please take her back to camp. The rest of us will figure out what is going on over there."

"What?" the sun warrior exclaimed, but she was worried about something else.

"But you can't let them know I'm here!" she pleaded.

"You obviously know of them." The Chief said, "Why shouldn't they know of you?"

"You keep yourselves hidden." She stated, gaining her composure slightly and letting it show as much as possible, "Why can't I?"

"Well spoken." He replied, "We will acquiesce to your decision. Although, I still wouldn't mind knowing your name."

Tara stood there, taking in the situation, and felt the name Lilly come to the tip of her tongue. But then she swallowed it back and decided that there was something about this place and what was about to happen that called for some, if only a little, truthfulness.

"Tara." She said simply.

Immediately, the Chief's eyebrows shot up in apparent surprise and Tara furrowed her own in confusion. It was just a name like any other. What was up with him?

But a moment later, he repeated his modified instructions to Ham Gao who, albeit reluctantly, led her away. She followed the scowling sun warrior, looking back only once to see the others climbing the last set of stairs to the top. They walked for a while, not saying a word to each other, which was quite okay with Tara as she was still trying to pull herself together.

Soon, they reached the outskirts of the city and she was shocked to see other sun warriors around. The people all seemed to be doing things seen in any other village, though they all stopped to stare at her as she passed by. The buildings here were more well-kept but still maintained the signs of old-age, a crack here or a growing vine there.

Ham Gao stopped at a slightly larger building than the others around here, still used for regular living but perhaps for someone more important.

"Wait inside until the Chief comes to speak with you." He stated, repeating what he was told, "Then your fate will be decided."

"Right," she replied, "my fate."

Ham Gao narrowed his eyes, obviously not liking her response, but eventually let it go. He pulled the entrance's curtain back and she took a small breath before going inside. As soon as Tara went in, Ham Gao let the curtain fall; an acceptable action any other time except this particular moment when the room plunged into darkness.

"So considerate," Tara mumbled to herself as she snapped her fingers, bringing forth a fire to light the room while she searched for the torches.

It didn't take long to find them and place a glowing fire on each. She let the one in her hand go out and finally got a look at the inside of the building. It was at this time she realized that this was the Chief's house. Of course! Ham Gao had said that he would come to speak with her.

This fact was apparent by all the extravagant tribal things hung up on the golden walls. Everything was colored red and gold, but she supposed that everything else in the Fire Nation was too. There were masks with intricate designs and feathers. Other staffs like the one the Chief was holding were propped up in two corners. The furniture was plain and simple; a long golden table sat in the center and two others, these ones much smaller, that were in the corners not occupied by staffs.

Tara sat cross-legged at the head of the long table on the side closest to the wall opposite the door. She wasn't sure what she was supposed to do now. Like, how long would she have to wait? She rested her head on the table, held up slightly by her arms, as a thought became front and center on her mind.

What were the Sun Warriors going to do with her? Or with Zuko and Aang, for that matter? Ham Gao had said something about deciding her fate. Surely he wasn't implying that they might _kill_ her, right? What had she done wrong? Maybe it had to do with knowing they existed. But Tara could explain how she wouldn't tell, how she hadn't meant any harm whatsoever, how she herself had a few secrets so they could trust her.

Wanting to leave these thoughts behind, Tara stood up and walked over to the window, which was actually only an opening in the wall with a curtain hanging in it. She pulled it back slightly and peeked out onto the street. At this exact moment, the group of sun warriors that had found her was just returning with Zuko and Aang walking in the center of the group.

The duo looked around them wearing expressions that were halfway between nervous and awe. The Chief was walking at the front and soon the other sun warriors peeled away from the group, forcing the three remaining to be guided only by the few lit torches on the outside of some buildings. He led them to a small building across from the one she was in and gestured to the door.

"You may stay here for the night." The Chief told them, "We will wake you in the morning for you to meet the masters."

_The masters? That sounds horribly ominous._

"Thank you." Zuko replied respectfully as he gave a small bow accompanied by Aang.

The Chief nodded and watched as Zuko pulled back the curtain and entered the building. Aang grabbed the fabric and held it back, ready to follow, but took one last curious look around the street. Suddenly, his gaze caught hers and for a second they just looked at each other, Tara in shock and Aang in confusion. She quickly pulled back the window's curtain and gasped for breath.

Spirits, that was close. But surely Aang would assume she was a sun warrior, right? There wasn't anything about what he saw that would point to the truth. Of course. What was she worried about? Everything was fine… just fine…

All of a sudden, the Chief entered the room, startling her and making her jump. He turned to her and gave her a warm smile. Then he hugged her.

It was kind of a shocker. Tara just stood there in alarm, feeling as though she was experiencing too many surprises in one night.

"Oh, it is so good to finally see you again, Tara." He told her, still embracing.

"Uh, yeah." She answered, not sure what was going on.

The Chief pulled away but kept his hands on her shoulders, seemingly examining her face.

"So tell me, how is your mother?" he asked in earnest, "You do look just like her."

"What?" Tara exclaimed.

The Chief blinked and removed his hands from her shoulders, as though he had just noticed the confusion etched all over her face.

"Why have you come here?" he asked, quieter than before.

"I-I wanted to learn firebending." She stuttered, eyes wide, but then realized her mistake, "I mean the real firebending stuff! Like, the original way… yeah…" Tara then added on quickly, "Also, I find the prospect of an ancient city fascinating."

"Tara," he began, "do you know who I am?"

"Uh, the Chief of the Sun Warriors?"

"Yes, but to you?"

She furrowed her eyebrows.

"Why would you be anyone to me? And… how could you say I look my mother?" Tara said softly, "You never knew her."

"Oh, I know your mother very well, though I suppose she probably has changed somewhat over the years."

"You're obviously not understanding." She stated, getting the slightest bit angry, "My mother is _dead_. She has been for eight years. Now I don't know who you are to be saying these things but… I want some answers."

He nodded, though he looked very crestfallen. His eyes even shimmered with unshed tears.

"But my Aamina… she has died?"

"Yes, she was sick."

"My daughter, Aamina, is your mother. She never told you any of this?"

"No. Do you mean… are you saying she was a sun warrior? Is Uncle Ezra one too?"

"Yes."

Somehow, Tara managed to remain calm. She stared at the floor, thinking. Suddenly, it sort of made sense. That's what Hama meant when she said they were strange. All along, she was a sun warrior too.

"Why did they leave here? What happened to my father?"

"Your father, Shou, died before you and Levi were born."

"Oh," she said, disappointed that a reunion with her real dad was impossible, "how?"

"There was a plague during that time." The Chief replied, "It almost wiped us out completely, but by the spirits' grace we have survived. Shou was a great man; he was very carefree and always made your mother laugh. It broke her heart when he passed away. But when you and your brother were finally born, it gave her a reason to smile again."

She smiled for a second, but then frowned.

"My brother? I don't have a brother." She stated matter-of-factly.

"But I mentioned this fact before. Levi is your twin brother, Tara."

"What? I thought you just casually added my cousin to the fact since we're the same age!"

"Well, you are the same age."

"I get that now! Why would Mom and Uncle Ezra split us up? What happened, why did they leave in the first place?"

"As Chief, I received a vision from the grand sun spirit. She told me that one of my grandchildren had a great destiny in store for them. She said that it would even be greater than that of the current avatar."

"How could it be greater than Aang's?" Tara whispered.

"There is more I could tell you of the destiny but, you see, that is the reason your mother left the Sun Warriors. She did not want you or Levi to know what will happen to one of you, so she left with Ezra's help. I do not know why they decided to lie to you, making you and Levi cousins puzzles me most of all, but there surely must be a reason."

She nodded, though only barely, and tugged on her earlobe nervously. Did she want to know the rest of the destiny? It might not even apply to her, it could be Levi's fate, but did she want to live with that knowledge either? Then her minded drifted back to what the Chief—her grandfather, Tara's mind reminded her—had said.

"The sun spirit," she began, "you called her a she."

"Yes, she is a strikingly beautiful woman with strange colored hair."

_Strange colored hair._

"What, like goldish?"

"Yes, precisely. How did you know?"

"And what's her name?"

"The Sun Warriors have long since vowed to only speak of her as the sun spirit."

"But she does have a name?"

"Yes, that is true."

"Do you know it?"

"Of course, every chief learns her sacred name but we are still forbidden to use it."

"Saol, is it Saol?"

His eyes grew wide at the mention of her prohibited name, but nodded gravely all the same.

"How do you know all these things?" the Chief asked her, "Have you come into contact with her?"

"Yes, only once, but she left a lasting impression. And then later I received a message. No, it was more of a prophecy. But still, I believe it's from her."

"Come, we must sit down." He instructed, "Then I can help decode the prophecy."

"You can do that?" Tara exclaimed, as she sat by the long table again.

"I can try." He clarified, "Now, what is it?"

She swallowed nervously and then began.

"_The lily's journey does not end with the war_

_It will end with a battle that occurs now and then_

_This battle seems strange in this day in age,_

_But when it ends, along with the journey,_

_Each element will have been reborn._"

Tara looked up at the Chief expectantly as he seemed to ponder the words deeply.

"Anything?" she prompted, feeling impatient.

"Well, the first line is clear."

"Really?" she cried, surprised that he actually deciphered something.

"Whoever this lily is, because I don't know who, his or her journey will not end when the war with the Fire Nation does."

"Oh, well, I kind of got that already." She stated, disappointed, "But we do think that the lily might be me."

"Why is that?"

"Uh, because it's kind of my alias… the Fire Lilly, to be exact."

He nodded gravely.

"The lily must be you, then."

"Yeah, figured as much. So, can you think of anything else? What do you think the battle is?"

"The battle that occurs now and then…" he repeated, "I'm sorry, but I can't think of anything right now that would fit that description."

"But it's not right now, is it? I mean, it said that it seems strange in this day in age. What could that mean?"

"As far as I can tell, it either means that it will be a very unheard-of battle or it will not happen at this time."

"What, like will it happen next year? Or ten years from now?"

"No, it could happen a century from now."

"That doesn't make any sense!"

"I never said I could make sense of it, I said I might be able to decode it."

"Fine." Tara replied, though her tone implied that it really wasn't, "And the battle will end when my journey ends, right? I mean, that's not too cryptic."

"I believe it implies not only that, but also that you play a very important part in ending it."

"Of course! Why not?" she sighed, "So, is that all you've got?"

The Chief stroked his beard thoughtfully for a few moments.

"One more thing, the last line." He finally answered, "That one is also quite clear."

"Oh, 'each element will have been reborn'?" she clarified with excitement, "What is it?"

He looked at her eager face for a couple more seconds, which Tara tolerated only because she didn't really want to make this guy mad. She had always wondered what that particular line could possibly be. It sounded simple enough, but she still couldn't figure it out. How could an element be reborn? Like, what would they be reborn into? Water to ice? That didn't make sense. They were both the same.

Yet the Chief seemed reluctant to tell her the meaning, his expression seemed very critical, as if the information he held was a load of bad news.

"In fact," he told her, "I believe I have finally figured out your destiny."

**Zuko POV**

Upon entering the decent-sized room, Zuko shot a plume of fire at each torch he saw, lighting them up so the pair could see. For a moment, he just stood there drinking in the feelings.

Tomorrow he was going to face the Masters, which sounded like either a terrifying or an enlightening experience. More likely, it would end up being a combination of the two. He shouldn't feel freaked out, and indeed he only did slightly, but it was that slight bit that perhaps freaked him out all the more. He couldn't stop thinking about the whole 'judging on ancestry' thing. It seemed unfair, especially for him.

Suddenly, he realized Aang had only just entered the room behind him, although Zuko wasn't exactly sure how long it had actually been. He turned around to face the airbender, who wore a more confused expression than normal.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Did you see that?" Aang said, completely ignoring Zuko's question as he pointed a thumb behind him.

"See what?" the firebender exclaimed.

"That girl," he stated, as if it was totally obvious, "she was staring right at us!"

"Aang," he replied calmly, "everyone was staring at us."

"But she was different. Her hair wasn't in the same way as the rest of the women and I don't think she was wearing the same kind of clothing either."

"I didn't know you noticed hairstyles." Zuko told him with a smirk.

The airbender frowned, rubbing his bald head self-consciously.

"I'm just saying it was kind of weird. Do you think we're not the only ones here to meet the Masters?"

"It would have to be a pretty big coincidence, don't you think?"

"Strange coincidences happen every day." Aang reminded him happily.

Optimists.

"It was probably just your imagination. We've had a pretty weird day. We should rest up for tomorrow."

The airbender looked at him for a few moments more before breaking his gaze away in disappointment. He scratched his head and walked over to the small cot that was in the corner of the room.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Aang stated reluctantly.

Zuko quickly took the other cot that lay opposite of the airbender's and got himself comfortable. He turned his body so that he was facing the wall, but could still hear Aang slowly climb into bed. It was obvious that he wasn't fully convinced that the girl he saw wasn't real, and Zuko didn't blame him.

He knew she was. Without a doubt, she was Lily. He just didn't want any more questions, fearing that he would slip up and say something stupid that would reveal his knowledge. Lily would be furious with him, he was sure of it. She was so secretive. But even she knew that she couldn't hide forever, Zuko had seen it in her eyes. She could only keep the charade up for so long.

The prince wasn't entirely sure if Aang would let this go easily, but at the moment they had bigger things to worry about, like being destroyed on the spot. That thought was very worrying indeed. So Zuko took his own advice. He doused the flames with a flick of his wrist, and drifted off into a fitful sleep.

He dreamed of a girl with long black hair that flowed around her. There was a white flower that stuck behind her ear. He never saw her face though, not when she was awake at least. It had been awhile since he had dreamed of her, since he had seen her in waking hours as well. Now, he could see something familiar in the way she ran about, the way her face was curved, and the way her lips had a slight smile even when asleep. Suddenly, Zuko realized that this girl wasn't a mystery after all. Well… not as much of a mystery.

It was Lily. It was always Lily. Sometime between when Zuko had pulled her from the burning wreckage and when he found her in Lake Laogai, she had gained whatever it was that she needed to say 'hello'. Or perhaps, in more literal terms, to scream 'wait'. For the thousandth time, he wondered who Lily really was; where she was from, what had happened to her, why she followed the gang everywhere but never revealed herself. All of these questions swam around Zuko's mind. More than ever, he wanted to interrogate her until she spilled. Yet, at the same time, he wanted to protect her.

It was pretty confusing.

**Tara POV**

There was a fairly small building that Tara was sent to stay in for the night. All it had were two torches, a cot, and a medium-sized table. This didn't exactly matter to her, though. She was too busy thinking about… other things. The Chief, who she couldn't bear to think of as her grandfather, was gentle when he told her his translation, but it didn't make it any nicer to hear. Tara was still slightly in shock.

She knew that Zuko and Aang would be facing the Masters in the morning. She wanted to be there, but the Chief insisted that only sun warriors and the ones seeing Ran and Shaw were allowed. Of course, Tara had argued that technically she _was _a sun warrior but to no avail. Apparently, when a sun warrior reached the age of thirteen you had to face the Masters and learn the ancient ways and since Tara had not yet done that she did not qualify. She had to wait until after Zuko and Aang left to get her chance.

Even if it didn't matter, Tara would like to be awake when the duo leaves, if only so she could be nice and alert when news of their fate made its way back. So with this fact on her mind, she went to sleep and prayed that everything, every single thing, would turn out okay.

She awoke to a sliver of sunshine on her face that had escaped from the outside through the slightly opened curtain. Rubbing her eyes, Tara sat up and pulled the light sheet off of her as she threw her legs over the side. She quickly realized that she was starving and so stood up to grab her bag that she had thrown haphazardly onto the table the previous night. Tara took out a chunk of dried meat and began to nibble nervously on it.

She pulled back the curtain of the window opening to take a look outside as she ate. Sun warriors were already awake and busily setting up their small market. She spotted some other teenagers milling about, mostly helping the adults, and she wondered what it would've been like if she had grown up here. Yet, at the back of her mind, Tara knew that she wouldn't have stayed here. It was evident that the sun warriors knew about the horrible war and what was going on outside of their haven, which meant that she would've known too. Somehow, she could tell that she would've hated being in a place like this where everything was peaceful with the knowledge of the state of the world everywhere else.

Tara would've left, while dragging Levi with her for sure. They would've helped the resistance. Who knows? Maybe she would've even met the gang along the way. In an alternate universe, things would've been strangely different and the same. Besides, she would've hated being cooped up here all her life.

As she finished her breakfast, Tara cautiously ventured outside of her small building and into the open marketplace. The sun was just over the treetops in the distance. She approached a young man who seemed in his late twenties that stood positioned behind a table displaying carefully woven baskets.

"Have the two people facing the Masters left yet?" she asked.

"Yeah, about an hour ago I think." He stated, craning his neck to get a glance at the sundial down the street, "Yeah. An hour."

"Oh, alright." she replied, a bit disappointed, "What happened?"

"Who knows? They're still trudging through the forest." He answered with a smile.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Facing the Masters is not as simple as you perceived it to be." He laughed, "My name's Chin-Hae, by the way."

"Was that an intentional rhyme?"

"What? Oh," he laughed a short moment, "No, but nice catch."

"Right, I'm Tara." She replied, "Now what were you saying about facing the Masters?"

"Well, you don't just go and see them." He began, "There's a whole process."

"A whole process?" she repeated in contempt.

"Yeah, you have to go back to the big pyramid and get a piece of the eternal flame-,"

"What's that?"

"It's the first fire given to humans." Chin-Hae explained like it was completely normal, "Then you have to keep that little bit in control as you walk all the way to the mountain over there."

He pointed across the ruins towards a landform in the distance.

"That's a long way to walk." Tara commented.

"It's not that bad. Really, it only takes about a day to get there."

"A whole day?" she said in surprise.

"Yeah… but once you get there it's pretty straightforward. Present the fire to Ran and Shaw, you get judged—poof, there's more fire… that's pretty much it."

She stared at him for a few moments more, trying to think of a response.

"Uh… more fire?" she finally uttered.

"Ah, I can't tell you everything." Chin-Hae said, wagging his finger playfully at her, "It's supposed to be hidden information until it's your turn."

"Oh,"

"Hey, so you're _the _Tara, right?" he asked.

She blinked in surprise.

"Elaborate, please?"

"People aren't really supposed to know this but the chief just had to tell us you were here. You're the daughter of Shou… right?"

"Uh," Tara took a second to recall the name of her real father that she had heard only once before, "Yeah, I am. Not to be rude, but why did the chief have to tell you?"

"Because you're my cousin." He stated simply.

"Wait, what? How am I related to you?"

"Your dad is my dad's brother. I've also got a little sister, Moriko. You should come meet her. She's only a few years older than you."

"Actually I should stay here-,"

"You've got the whole rest of the day before the others come back, and then you have to wait until tomorrow for your turn to face the Masters. You have plenty of time."

"Well, you do make a convincing argument, but don't you have to watch your stand?"

Chin-Hae glanced down at the woven baskets scattered across the table and shrugged.

"I guess."

"Chin-Hae!" a woman's voice sounded from the doorway of the building behind him, "You're always trying to find a way out of work, aren't you?"

The woman was tall and slender, but with a slightly plump face. Her black hair was pulled back into a high ponytail, which seemed to be the norm around here. The outfit she wore was no different. She was leaning against the doorway's side with her arms crossed, a smug smile on her face.

"Ma!" he replied, "I'm trying to be friendly with my long lost cousin."

She narrowed her eyes and turned her gaze towards Tara. Suddenly, her face lit up.

"So _you're_ that niece the chief told me had returned." She joked as she walked over, "My name is Azami, but of course I am also your Aunt Azami. At this point I don't care what you call me."

"Oh," Tara said, not sure how to reply, "okay."

"I suppose you can skip work today, Chin-Hae." Azami informed him, "But only to show her around, you got that? I better not find that you've been slacking off with your friends later."

"Alright, Ma, I understand." He answered, impatience obviously building.

They said their goodbyes before Chin-Hae quickly led Tara down the increasingly crowded street.

"So… what're we going to do?" she asked, genuinely curious.

"Well, if you've got questions then I can answer them." He replied, "Correction: most of them. I can answer most of them. And we can do that while we snack."

"Snack?" Tara repeated in surprise.

"Snacking, casual eating, call it what you want, but I'm feeling hungry so we're definitely going to participate in the action of it."

"Oh, I'm feeling at home already." She commented lightly, "Where are we getting said snacks?"

"_We_," Chin-Hae emphasized, "are heading to my friend Falan's place, though I expect we'll end up with my sister in no time. They're kind of attached at the hip. It's a bit annoying, actually."

"They're dating?"

"Sorta, kinda,"

"And that means?"

"That anybody observing them would say yes, but they're too socially awkward too admit it."

"That makes sense." She stated sarcastically.

"Hey, it does." Chin-Hae defended, "It's just hard to explain."

They walked in silence for a minute or two. Tara couldn't think of another topic, which was slightly uncharacteristic as she was usually teeming with questions. Finally Chin-Hae stopped at a building the size of the one she was staying in, if not smaller. He pulled open the entrance's curtain and looked back at her.

"In we go," he said, gesturing for her to enter first.

With a short 'thanks', Tara walked inside to find a boy about Chin-Hae's age lounging lazily on the floor. He was leaning against a table while scribbling anxiously in a leather-bound notebook. His long black hair fell down around his shoulders.

"Hey, Falan." Chin-Hae greeted.

"Hello, and who is this?" he responded, without even looking up.

"Tara." He replied unfazed, "She'll be facing the Masters tomorrow, but for now I've been assigned the job of looking after her."

"You came here for food." Tara stated.

"Oh, burn." Falan laughed, holding out his fist.

She bumped it cautiously, feeling awkward as he still hadn't looked up from the notebook.

"How is that not looking after you?" Chin-Hae defended, "I'm making sure that you won't starve."

"Valid point," Falan commented, "Fist bump: retracted."

Chin-Hae scratched the back of his neck before grabbing the notebook from his hands.

"Hey! I was just getting to something!" Falan objected, holding out his hand in demand.

"You can have _this_ back once you've directed me to your new stash of food."

"Oh, you play dirty, my friend." He narrowed his eyes, "It's behind a loose brick in the corner."

"Thank you. I don't know why you bother hiding it all the time. You know I can easily find it."

"It helps me when I'm on writer's block."

Chin-Hae nodded. At this point, Tara was beyond confused.

"So…" she began, turning towards Falan, "you write?"

"As much as possible," he answered immediately.

"Which is basically all the time." Chin-Hae commented as he returned to them.

"Well, I can't lose my train of thought."

"What do you write?" Tara asked, still curious.

He looked up from the notebook in a look of deep thought.

"Uh…"

"It's mostly a memoir." Chin-Hae responded, "Though, with a healthy amount of very emotional phrases."

"Yeah…" Falan said, "Wait, are you mocking me?"

"Eh, a bit." He shrugged.

"Well, I just figure that I should write down as much as I can remember about this place before I leave."

"You're leaving?" Tara questioned in surprise.

"I'm definitely not staying here forever." He continued, "The elders seem to be perfectly content with living in this ancient city forever but… I tend to think otherwise."

"Most of us do," Chin-Hae jumped in.

"Exactly!" Falan exclaimed, standing up and flailing his arms around, "There's nothing for us here. The best future we can hope for is a slightly prosperous craft or food stand in the market. I mean, there's a reason things progressed outside these walls. I want to go out to the real world, where I can be someone different. I can write better things and be recognized for it. That'd never happen here."

"And I'll be coming with you." Chin-Hae stated, "You can bet Moriko will be at our heels too."

"I wouldn't have it any other way." He declared faithfully as he sat again, having calmed down.

"Well, good for you." Tara said, not sure what else to say but still feeling proud.

"Hey, you've been out there, right? What's it like?" Her cousin asked enthusiastically while Falan nodded encouragingly.

"Uh, it's beautiful." She said, trying to think of things to mention, "The places, I mean. And there's big cities, sort of like this but the buildings are different. Less… goldish things. Machines! Yeah, have you heard of those? They move across land on steam or coal. There are ships too. They float on water but are also propelled forward. They're much bigger than the kind of boats you might have here. Uh… but there is a war going on, though I think you already know that."

Chin-Hae nodded gravely.

"I want to help end the war." He added, "That would be part of the adventure."

"Adventure…" she said, thinking of all the things that have happened, "right."

In mid-scribble, Falan stood up and walked over to the window, sneaking a peek outside.

"I better be going." He informed, grabbing a satchel laying underneath the window and stuffing his notebook inside, "I was supposed to meet Moriko a few minutes ago."

"Man, she's going to put you in the polar bear doghouse again." Chin-Hae taunted.

"There is no polar bear doghouse with us." Falan stated blissfully, "We are completely accepting of each other."

"I wonder how long that'll last." He replied under his breath, but then spoke up louder as his friend began to leave, "Wait, we're coming with you!"

"We are?" Tara questioned as Chin-Hae grabbed her arm and pulled her along.

He didn't respond and she didn't need one at this point. They were going to see her other cousin, and she supposed that was good, but Tara was just anxious about not being present when Aang and Zuko returned. Still, she tugged her earlobe nervously and followed Chin-Hae and Falan into the forest.

Several minutes passed before they were weaving through tall trees. Tara stopped as she noticed a pair of legs dangling from a branch, swinging back and forth. The two guys also halted as they saw them.

"Hi, Moriko!" Falan called, a wide smile on his face.

"Falan!" a cheery voice cried out, "You're late, you know."

"Yeah, sorry." He said, looking embarrassed, "I got a bit side-tracked."

"Hmm," she narrowed her eyes.

"Do I get a hello?" Chin-Hae asked.

"Hello, brother." Moriko stated, not at all sincere.

"Uh, I'm Tara." She said, waving awkwardly as she tried to cut the unexpected tension.

"Okay." Moriko replied before turning back to Falan, "Well, are you coming up or not? I've got some new sketches that I'd like to show you. There was an absolutely adorable bird perched over there for a while that I think I captured beautifully."

"Of course," he responded as he hastily climbed up the tree to sit beside her.

While the couple began to talk intensely with each other, Tara took a good look at her cousin. Moriko was short and rather skinny with long black hair that looked like it could be longer than hers, which was strange. Although, as she thought about it, all of the sun warriors probably had hair like that but they kept it pulled up. Moriko's face was pretty and soft-featured, also having quite large eyes with golden rings around the pupils. Yet, Tara couldn't decide if she liked her very much. Then again, it's not like they talked long. It was just that Moriko seemed so cold and distant, as if she only cared about Falan's attention which could very well be true.

"Come on," Chin-Hae told her, touching her arm slightly, "we won't get much from their company."

Once again, they wandered about the forest, but this time without a purpose. As soon as they were out of the couple's earshot, Tara began to speak.

"So, it seems like they're pretty happy together." She commented lightly.

"Yeah," he scoffed, "though it's more of an obsession really."

She nodded understandingly.

"Are there any other sun warriors your age?" Tara asked, trying to make conversation out of anything.

"Nope." He answered matter-of-factly, "If you haven't noticed, we're not a very big group and hardly any of us are non-related anymore."

"I can see how that would be a problem." Tara laughed slightly.

"You're telling me." Chin-Hae joined in, "Moriko's the only girl our age. She's twenty-four; two years younger than me. Falan's twenty-six too, and then there's Ham Gao who's twenty-nine and you don't really want to spend very much time with."

"Yeah, I've might him." She said sympathetically, "That's not a huge group you've got there at all."

"There would've been you and your twin, though." Chin-Hae added, "Had you stayed, I mean."

"Aren't we a little young? And, of course, we're related." Tara stated.

"Yeah, yeah, but I just want more people to hang out with." He informed, "Where is your twin, anyway? He's not… uh…"

"Nah, he's alive and well." She reassured, "Nothing to worry about with Levi."

"Levi, okay." He repeated, as if putting the name into memory, "How come he didn't come?"

"We don't… see a lot of each other." Tara told him nervously.

"What happened to you guys, anyway?" Chin-Hae asked finally, abruptly stopping in his walk, "Why did Aunt Aamina and your uncle leave with you? Nobody has ever told me the real story."

Tara shrugged carelessly, though it was a bit of a fake gesture.

"To tell you the truth, I've been trying to figure that out."

"Oh… uh, I'm not going to ask." He told her, "It seems like a long story and, well, I'm sure you're tired of telling it."

"Tired of focusing on it, really," she admitted.

"Right," Chin-Hae agreed, "Moriko doesn't really understand the overall strangeness of you being here."

"What do you mean?" she asked, hearing the sincerity in his voice.

"I was ten when you were born. Ten is that age where you really start realizing things are happening around you, you know? Moriko was eight. She was close, but still not there. I was really excited to have two new cousins, and then suddenly… my aunt and her brother were missing from the city and I didn't hear anything else about you or, uh, Levi. The adults were always whispering amongst each other so I knew something was up right away. Nobody would tell me anything, though. For a long time, I thought you guys were all dead."

"Oh, well, here I am!" she laughed, attempting to lighten the mood a little.

This earned a small smile from her cousin.

"Yeah," he agreed, a hint of amusement in his voice, "here you are out of nowhere."

Tara nodded, not sure what else to say. A few awkward moments passed as they continued walking. Finally, Chin-Hae spoke up again.

"Do you think that when you leave you can take us with you?" he asked, "Me, Falan, and Moriko, I mean."

She swallowed guiltily.

"I don't know." She said, "I want to, but my life is really confusing right now. I don't actually have a definite place where I live and my money and food situation is far from stable."

"Don't you fight in the war?" Chin-Hae asked, confused.

"Well, sort of." She told him, "I mean, I guess. I really don't have a good explanation for my reason why not. What's holding you back from going by yourself? Without me?"

"We _could _just leave whenever we wanted to." He admitted, "No one would put us under house arrest or anything like that, but it's just that we would like to have people's approval. My mom especially would feel better if she knew we were going someplace safe."

"Oh, you won't be safe with me, that's for sure." Tara stated.

"Right," he said, laughing out loud.

"I'm serious. The people I'm associated with are right in the thick of everything. I have been kidnapped, imprisoned, fought with the princess of the Fire Nation (I've got the scar to prove that), and even invaded the capital, among other things. It's not as easy out there as you seem to think it is."

Chin-Hae scratched the back of his neck guiltily.

"I don't mean to seem so ignorant." He said, "I know it's harder out there than in this city. It's gotta be. I probably look like an idiot who thinks it's just one big fun adventure. It's not. But I don't want to spend my whole life holed up here, without a care in the world. I _want _to have something to care about."

"There are people out there that would envy you for what you have here." Tara stated bitterly, "But I get it. I understand. It's just that being with me isn't what you need. I would explain, but as you said it is a long story." She sighed, "Let's go back to the city."

"Yeah, okay." He replied quietly.

Tara couldn't understand why she was mad about this. She shouldn't be, she knew that. What he said was perfectly reasonable, and something told her that she'd feel the same way if things had been different. Yet even if Chin-Hae said that he knew what it was like out there, there were times when he acted the opposite. Besides, how could he possibly know how it was outside this forest? No, he couldn't. Not really, anyway. Stories are different from the real thing.

The sun was slowly setting by the time they got back to the city. Chin-Hae asked if she would like to go to his house for dinner, as his mother would be more than willing to accommodate, but Tara mumbled a 'no thank you'. She didn't feel like being around any more long-lost relatives. So she headed back to her tiny house and flopped down onto the cot, longing to just fall asleep but wanting to hear about Zuko and Aang. Tara stared at the ceiling, wondering what to do for an uncalculated period of time. Eventually she stood up and peered out of her window, a gut feeling telling her to do so.

She was rewarded with the appearance of the Chief making his way down the main street. He seemed to be coming to her doorway, causing her to frantically dash about the room as she tried to decide what would be the best casual pose. In the end, she laid down on her cot again and feigned sleep.

"Tara?" the Chief called with a light knock on her doorway.

She propped herself up on her elbows and replied with a 'come in'. He took a step inside, no more than that, and smiled.

"Well, what's the news?" Tara asked anxiously.

"Everything is fine." He reassured, "Your friends are alive and on their way back to wherever they came from."

"Oh, that's great!" she exclaimed, "What else happened?"

"You'll find out soon enough." The Chief replied, "I will wake you up early tomorrow and then you will embark on your own journey to face the Masters."

"Right, okay." She said, somewhat disappointed that there wasn't any other information he would give her.

He smiled, nodded, wished her a 'good night', and left. Tara lifted her aching elbows and let her body hit the cot with a thump. What the morning would bring her she wasn't sure, but it could probably go either way. With anxious thoughts on her mind, she drifted off into a fitful sleep.

When dawn had barely broken, Tara was awoken to a trivial shoving from the Chief. She mumbled something incoherent and turned over, still half asleep, before he declared that it was time for her to face the Masters. She sat up reluctantly, not particularly happy about the day's events. Her stomach was twisted into a million knots and she wasn't sure if she could undo them at this point.

After a brief breakfast, which she didn't eat much of due to her nerves, Tara was led out of the inhabited part of the city, though not before sharing an unemotional look with Chin-Hae. They walked for a while until finally reaching a large pyramid. The steps were horrendous to ascend, but at least the sun wasn't very high in the sky yet and the air was still somewhat cool. Once the group of sun warriors reached the top, Tara was in awe at what she saw.

It was a huge fire kept in a space in the wall. It glowed and cast large shadows across the ancient floor as it flickered and crackled. The heat was already rather overpowering since Tara was still recovering from the long climb. Before she could ask about the fire, the Chief instructed her to follow him closer to it. The group of thirty or more sun warriors sat cross-legged and formed a few layers of a semi-circle around the fire.

Tara stood a yard or so away from the enormous heat source, the Chief beside her. She swallowed nervously, wondering what could possibly come next in the ceremony. But, wait a second. Hadn't Chin-Hae said something to her about this part? Oh, yeah! She had to get a piece of the eternal flame! And that was… the first fire given to humans? Yes, that sounded about right. What came next? For the life of her, Tara just couldn't remember what.

"To face the Masters you must take a piece of the eternal flame." The Chief began, gesturing simply towards it, "This fire is the very first one. It was given to Man by the dragons and we have kept it going for thousands of years."

It sounded like an awful lot of work, keeping it alive for so long, but she supposed that it would be pretty terrible for it to be extinguished at this point.

"You must bring a piece of the flame to the Masters to show your commitment to the sacred art of firebending." The Chief continued, sounding as though he has recited this speech many times before and, Tara thought, he probably has, "This ritual illustrates the essence of Sun Warrior philosophy. The flame will go out if you make it too small. Make it too big and you might lose control."

As he said this, he took a bit of flame from the large fire and manipulated it around, showing his mastery of the art. When he was done, he held out the small fire for her to receive. Though the action she was asked to do was extremely easy for her standards, Tara took the fire and handled it with unusual care. With so many eyes upon her, it would be absolutely horrifying to mess up.

"You will take your flame up there." The Chief told her as he pointed to a mountain across the city, "The cave of the Masters is beneath that rock. We will meet you at your destination, but for now we must part ways. The journey to the mountain is to be taken in solitude."

Tara nodded, eyes still on the fire in her hands.

"Tara," the Chief prompted, snapping her into focus.

"Sorry, right, gotta begin the journey," she said, feigning enthusiasm.

Without another word, she started on her hike back down the pyramid's steps. As the day passed slowly by, Tara was beginning to wish she had eaten more of her breakfast. The bulk of her walk was through the city, which was nice and painless. The steps beforehand didn't leave her especially winded as descending tends to be much easier than ascending and there were no inclines or otherwise through the streets.

Still, it was boredom that troubled her. Her thoughts just kept repeating themselves over and over and it didn't take long for them to wander far from what she was doing. Were Zuko and Aang back with the rest of the gang yet? Was Sokka worried about her not returning with them? What if they have to move hideouts and she can't find them when she comes back? Well, these thoughts aren't particularly happy.

Pushing them away, Tara realigned her focus back on the fire in her hands as she left the city and entered the forest. As the time had passed, she had lost her intense care of firebending. Holding the flame in her hand was effortless, and she wondered what exactly the Chief had been talking about when he said she had to control it cautiously. She never had to think very much about keeping a fire a certain size. It always seemed to just… stay the same.

Tara began to feel an ache as she climbed up the forested mountain. A couple hours passed, and she noticed the sun beginning to set. Had the day passed already? Spirits, that was depressing. But it wasn't long before she reached the final stretch of her journey. She pulled herself up one-handed, the other holding up the flame, onto the surface of the mountain. She took a few steps and came upon the Chief, along with the group of sun warriors.

The area was large and ancient. The ground in front of her was painted in some kind of fiery circular design and stairs led up to a bridge between the two points of the mountain. The sun warriors were in two lines, alternating between standing and on their knees bowing, creating a walkway for her to go. The Chief stood at the center, two sun warriors beside him. She approached him cautiously, not sure if she was supposed to continue.

"It is now time for the Masters to judge you." He told her confidently, "You may go up the stairs. Chanters!"

As Tara began to walk towards the stairs and soon climbed up, the sun warriors in their lines spread out to line the mountain wall. Some of them had fire that they were bending in a continuous circle while other chanted a song with no real words apparent. Then there were the few that had went to their knees and were already bowing.

The chanting seemed to set her nerves on edge even more than they already were. It didn't help that the climb up the stairs all but killed her aching feet. Once she finally got the top, Tara turned back towards the sun warriors and looked at the Chief expectantly. He smiled encouragingly.

"She who wishes to meet the Masters Ran and Shaw will now present her fire!" he called out powerfully.

Tara wasn't exactly sure which way to turn. Surely if she only faced one of the caves, the guy in the other would be offended. They sounded like those kind of people. She was about to ask, but then stopped herself. She'd probably look like an idiot if she had to do that. So she simply broke the flame into two, one in each hand, and held them out either way. She bent her head down, though it was facing the stairs, hoping that was good enough.

There was a loud sound, maybe from an instrument, that reverberated against the mountain sides. Tara gritted her teeth in anxiety. How much longer would it be? Did the ceremony really have to be this complicated? Yet, just as she thought this, a rough red figure appeared in the corner of her left eye. Was that-

Yeah, it was. The red dragon took one circular flight around the bridge before landing on the space below it, to the right of the stairs. Almost instantly afterwards, a blue dragon rushed out of the other cave and performed the same circle before also landing beneath the bridge. Both stretched out their front legs forward, set their heads down, and arched their backs into a distinct bowing stance.

Dragons. The Masters were dragons. And they were… bowing? But, why? Tara stood up straight again as the chanting and drums stopped, paving way for dead silence. One look at the Chief and the other sun warriors told her that this wasn't normal.

Tara didn't know what to think. She should've been more shocked about the dragons, after all they were supposed to be extinct, but what they were doing was just more alarming.

"What are the Masters doing?" she heard the distant voice of Ham Gao ask, "Are they bowing?"

"Yes, Ham Gao." The Chief answered sternly, "Now do the same."

"What, bow to _her_?" he said incredulously.

"Yes, now be quiet!"

Tara's eyes widened as she heard this and saw that all the sun warriors had gotten on their knees and were following. The Masters were bowing to _her_? She didn't like it. Not one bit. Though the back of her mind was saying that she should feel proud of this, the rest was screaming. And she wasn't exactly sure why.

Letting go of the flames in her hands completely, she began to run down the steps, careful only so she wouldn't fall.

"Tara?" the Chief called in distress, "What are you doing?"

But she didn't answer, in fact she barely heard him as she sprinted across the area, suddenly full of energy. There was a sound of wind and she knew that the Masters had returned to their caves, still she ran faster. She was a quarter down the mountain when she finally ran out of steam and the Chief caught up to her. He found her panting and leaning against a tree.

"Tara, what's the matter?" he asked, out of breath himself.

She sighed angrily.

"I don't want anyone bowing down to me." She said firmly.

"You have to accept it now." The Chief told her softly, "It's part of your-,"

"Destiny?" Tara interrupted harshly, "I don't want a destiny! I just want to be a normal person! I never asked for any of this complicated stuff, but it just keeps getting worse."

"You can't change fate, Tara." He said, "I know it is hard, but running will do you no good."

"It can't hurt either." She stated quietly.

"I disagree." He replied, "This destiny will only get closer. As you run, it will simply switch lanes. It will not stop, it will not come slower. It will come just as fast."

Tara slid down into a sitting position and hugged her knees to her chest, realizing that tears had begun to escape.

"Why me?" she whispered.

"Why anyone?" the Chief said, slightly amused.

"I didn't even learn any firebending stuff today." She argued, "I didn't learn any sacred secret, or whatever the heck it is."

"I don't think you needed to." He informed, "All the Masters would've showed you are things you already seem to know. You treat fire as it is: life, energy, warmth, and beauty. And yet, you have seen the world and everything that fire has destroyed. Perhaps that is why this is your destiny."

"Because I like fire even though I've seen its bad side?" Tara asked doubtfully, looking up at him.

"Because you are loyal to the things and people you love most." He clarified, "Because you give second chances. Because you care for those who have done wrong."

She blinked, thinking of the Dai Li agent she didn't care especially for and Azula and Ozai who she didn't hold in very high esteem, and shook her head.

"No, that's not true." Tara stated.

"Ta-,"

"You don't even know me." She said matter-of-factly, but then got quieter, "Only one person really knows me."

"Then I suggest you stay by that person." He said, "I may have only met you for a day or so, but I can tell that you are so like your parents. You are strong-willed and compassionate, like your mother, and brave and witty, like your father."

"I guess _that's_ good." She whispered, unsure of how to reply.

The Chief laughed.

"Yes, it is." He agreed, "I suppose you'll want to leave now, then."

Tara nodded, standing up and wiping her eyes.

"Thank you." She said, though she wasn't sure what for.

"Of course," he replied, smiling warmly.

"Uh," she tugged on her earlobe, not knowing how to say goodbye, when suddenly the Chief pulled her into a large platypus-bear hug.

"I'm going to miss you, Tara." He confessed.

"Yeah," she answered awkwardly as he let her go, "Tell the others I say 'bye'. Chin-Hae, Falan, and… that's pretty much it."

The Chief agreed and they said one last goodbye before she set off for the edge of the city, where Kokoro was waiting. It wasn't until she was almost there that she remembered the whole dragon thing. Yet, there wasn't even that much to think about. Sure, they were supposed to be extinct, but so were the Sun Warriors.

After greeting Kokoro and apologizing for staying so long, Tara left the city behind and was on her way back to the Western Air Temple. She ate some food for a meal since though she didn't exactly feel like eating, she _was_ hungry. It was deep into the night when she finally arrived at the temple.

She was surprised to find Sokka waiting in the clearing where her makeshift campsite was. He sat beneath a tree, solemnly staring off into the distance. As much as Tara was happy to see him, she was also disappointed. She was still kind of upset by what happened with the Masters and didn't want Sokka to see that.

"Where have you been?" he asked, slightly angered, as Kokoro landed.

"Where Aang and Zuko were, of course." She answered, trying to stay normal and upbeat as she climbed off her vulture-griffin.

"It's been a whole day since _they_ got back!" he exclaimed, gesturing wildly.

"Well, I had some things to take care of." She skirted around a lie.

"Like _what_?" he asked disbelieving.

"Eh, nothing important." That was a lie.

"But-,"

"Just drop it, Sokka!" she yelled.

Silence followed.

"Are you okay?" he asked, concern in his voice as he took a step towards her.

"Why wouldn't I be?" she asked, her act slipping.

"What happened?" he questioned.

"Nothing." She insisted, though her voice contradicted her words.

"Come on, Tara, just tell me." Sokka demanded, "I can tell that something's up."

"It's nothing!" she repeated.

"I know that it's not!" he yelled back.

"I'm not telling you this time, Sokka!" she told him, dropping the lie completely.

"So there _is _something!" he cried in success, "Why can't you tell me?"

"I'm not going to!"

"Tara, you can't just keep it to yourself if it's bothering you so much!"

"I don't want you to know!"

"Is it Zuko again? Did he hurt you?"

"No!"

"Then what is it?"

"I'm not telling you!"

"Why not!"

"Because I just want to be normal!"

"What?" he asked quietly.

At some point, tears had sprung from Tara's eyes and they were now falling down her face rapidly. She sank down until she was sitting cross-legged and put her head in her hands. Soon she felt Sokka's presence beside her. He wrapped his arms around her and she returned it, crying into his neck.

"I don't want you to treat me differently." She sobbed, "I want to stay the same an-and, I don't know. It's just not fair."

"It's okay." He said softly, "You… you don't have to tell me."

They didn't say anything else, and they didn't need to. Tara felt comforted in Sokka's arms, as she always did. He was right. It was okay… here. It would always be okay here.

_So petrified, so scared to step into this ride_

_What if I lose my heart and fail declined?_

_I won't forgive me if I give up trying_

_- He Won't Go by Adele_

**GOD. OH,GOD. IT'S FINISHED. *hysterical laughter* YES! Sorry about the wait, everybody. There was procrastinating and writer's blocking and general business. I apologize. But there's a lot to read, right? I know! It's crazy! I guess this can be a slightly belated Christmas present. You're welcome. Oh, I'd like to thank Katara7344 for reviewing so very long ago (It made me jump for joy to know that you saw those things. I try to put as many hints to the show as possible.) and NobodyLovesAMisfit for the review a month ago. It really got me back on the writing track. You should've seen my surprise when I saw it.**

**So, please review, everybody! They really encourage me! Constructive criticism is always welcome! Next chapter things get better, but I'd love to hear anybody's theory or if I'm making whatever's going on obvious. Anywho, thanks for reading!**


	21. And Then I Cried

**Well, it's been while, my dear followers. I don't know how many of you are still out there or how many of you will bother reading this, but I want you to know that I love each and every one of you for giving me the confidence to get my writing off the ground. It'll be almost a year since my last update soon, and I think it's about time that I admit to myself and others that I'm never going to finish writing this story. But I want you all to know that it pains me greatly to confess this. Tara has established a place in my heart, along with the other original characters that I have come to know so well. **

**This story is incredibly fleshed out and I don't want it to rot in my head, nor do I want the conclusion to it to be a mystery to all of you. That's why I will let anybody who would like to take over The Stowaway do so, but you must contact me so I can tell you all you need to know. If no one contacts me by the first of March, then I will post a chapter containing every write-ahead I ever wrote (and believe me, there are tons) along with the plot details for the rest of The Stowaway and its planned sequel, The Outcasts. **

**I cannot express the love, gratitude, and pain I feel as I make this decision enough with the words I am writing right now. All I can say I have already said, yet it doesn't feel the least bit sufficient. Thank you.**


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